Water and Land at the Ancient Maya Community of La Milpa

1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vernon L. Scarborough ◽  
Matthew E. Becher ◽  
Jeffrey L. Baker ◽  
Garry Harris ◽  
Fred Valdez
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Ancient Population ◽  
Seasonal Drought ◽  
La Milpa ◽  
Maya Area

The Late Preclassic to Classic period (400 B. C.-A. D. 900) Maya community of La Milpa, Belize, has recently revealed an ancient water and land-use system. As demonstrated at other southern Maya Lowland sites, the Maya created a microwatershed to store and convey water during the four months of seasonal drought. In addition to water conservation measures associated with reservoirs, deliberate channelization, diversion weirs, and postulated fields, the importance of rainy-season erosion control is indicated. Given the ancient population densities identified in the Maya area, coupled with the seasonal scarcity of water, we posit a “skill-oriented” economy.

3. The divine king

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-42
Author(s):  
Matthew Restall ◽  
Amara Solari
Keyword(s):  
Classic Period ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Regional Variations ◽  
Short Biography ◽  
Maya Area

“The divine king” begins with a short biography of the Maya k’uhul ajaw (supreme lord or king) known as 18-Rabbit. During the Classic period, rulers were viewed as divine kings or queens, like 18-Rabbit and Lady K’abel (“Waterlily-Hand”). The ancient Maya used a combination of a cyclical calendar and a linear calendar called the “Long Count.” The Maya area experienced regular intrusions from imperial Teotihuacan, often leading to economic and diplomatic partnerships. Most Mayas experienced war in their lifetimes. The “Collapse” at the end of the Classic period could more accurately be called a transition, with major regional variations. Some well-known Maya sites flourished after the Collapse.

THE GROWTH AND DECLINE OF THE ANCIENT MAYA CITY OF LA MILPA, BELIZE: NEW DATA AND NEW PERSPECTIVES FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAZAS

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Zaro ◽  
Brett A. Houk
Keyword(s):  
Tenth Century ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Political Landscape ◽  
Political Clout ◽  
Ruling Elites ◽  
La Milpa ◽  
Precision And Accuracy ◽  
Historical Trajectory ◽  
Over Time

AbstractConstruction histories of ancient Maya monumental centers have long been used to interpret the growth and decline of Lowland Maya polities. Changes in the built environment at monumental centers reflect labor appropriation by ruling elites and may indirectly serve to gauge changes in political clout over time. Consequently, the precision and accuracy with which archaeologists measure these changes take on increased importance when assessing the ancient Maya political landscape. Recent excavations in the monumental core of La Milpa, Belize, have generated new data that call for a re-assessment of the center's historical trajectory. Our data indicate that La Milpa had a larger Late Preclassic foundation, likely grew much more incrementally through the Classic period, and persisted centuries longer than previously understood. The apparent persistence of occupation into the tenth century a.d. challenges the traditionally accepted dates for La Milpa's abandonment, and, the ceramic sequence upon which it is often based.

scholarly journals A Tale of Maize, Palm, and Pine: Changing Socio-Ecological Interactions from Pre-Classic Maya to the Present Day in Belize

Quaternary ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. C. Rushton ◽  
Bronwen S. Whitney ◽  
Sarah E. Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
New Record ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Classic Maya ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Ancient Maya ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Terminal Classic

The environmental impact of the ancient Maya, and subsequent ecological recovery following the Terminal Classic decline, have been the key foci of research into socio-ecological interactions in the Yucatán peninsula. These foci, however, belie the complex pattern of resource exploitation and agriculture associated with post-Classic Maya societies and European colonisation. We present a high-resolution, 1200-year record of pollen and charcoal data from a 52-cm short core extracted from New River Lagoon, near to the European settlement of Indian Church, northern Belize. This study complements and extends a previous 3500-year reconstruction of past environmental change, located 1-km north of the new record and adjacent to the ancient Maya site of Lamanai. This current study shows a mixed crop production and palm agroforestry management strategy of the ancient Maya, which corroborates previous evidence at Lamanai. Comparison of the two records suggests that core agricultural and agroforestry activities shifted southwards, away from the centre of Lamanai, beginning at the post-Classic period. The new record also demonstrates that significant changes in land-use were not associated with drought at the Terminal Classic (ca. CE 1000) or the European Encounter (ca. CE 1500), but instead resulted from social and cultural change in the post-Classic period (CE 1200) and new economies associated with the British timber trade (CE 1680). The changes in land-use documented in two adjacent records from the New River Lagoon underline the need to reconstruct human–environment interactions using multiple, spatially, and temporally diverse records.

scholarly journals Simulation of Land Use Change Against The Hidrological Characteristics of The Ciliman Watershed

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-71
Author(s):  
Leonard Kristofery ◽  
Kukuh Murtilaksono ◽  
Dwi Putro Tejo Baskoro
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Soil And Water Conservation ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Land Use Scenario ◽  
Soil And Water

The Ciliman Watershed is one of the watersheds in Kabupeten Lebak and Kabupaten Pandeglang with a total area ± 500 km2. According to report of Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB) Serang City, flooding often occurs in the Ciliman watershed because of the overflow of the Ciliman tributaries, this occurs because of the conversion of land use in the upstream area of Ciliman watershed so that during the rainy season, rainwater does not seep into the ground but directly into runoff. The aims of the research is to simulate several soil and water conservation as an effort to better manage the Ciliman watershed and determine the best land use scenario in accordance with the biophysical Ciliman watershed. This study applied SWAT model as a tool to simulate several soil and water conservation technical at Ciliman watershed. The scenarios simulated were: 0) existing condition, 1) application of forest area functions, 2) application of soil and water conservation techniques using RTK RHL, 3) application of regional spatial planning (RTRW). The results showed that scenario 2 (RTK RHL) was the best scenario by overall. Scenario 2 can reduce the Qmax/Q min ratio by 31.63% compared to other scenarios. And also can reduce coefficient of runoff by 24% and direct runoff by 23.55% and increase baseflow by 16.20% and water yield by 1.77%.

STUDI BIONOMIK VEKTOR MALARIA DI KECAMATAN KALIBAWANG, KULONPROGO

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sardjito Eko Windarso dkk
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Malaria Vector ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Anopheles Species ◽  
Commercial Farming ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Dry And Rainy Seasons

The increasing of malaria cases in recent years at Kecamatan Kalibawang has been suspected correspond with the conversion of farming land-use which initiated in 1993. Four years after the natural vegetation in this area were changed become cocoa and coffee commercial farming estates, the number of malaria cases in 1997 rose more than six times, and in 2000 it reached 6085. This study were aimed to observe whether there were any differences in density and diversity of Anopheles as malaria vector between the cocoa and mix farming during dry and rainy seasons. The results of the study are useful for considering the appropriate methods, times and places for mosquito vector controlling. The study activities comprised of collecting Anopheles as well as identifying the species to determine the density and diversity of the malaria vector. Both activities were held four weeks in dry season and four weeks in rainy season. The mea-surement of physical factors such as temperature, humidity and rainfall were also conducted to support the study results. Four dusuns which meet the criteria and had the highest malaria cases were selected as study location. Descriptively, the results shows that the number of collected Anopheles in cocoa farming were higher compared with those in mix horticultural farming; and the number of Anopheles species identifi ed in cocoa farming were also more varied than those in the mix horticultural farming.Key words: bionomik vektor malaria, anopheles,

scholarly journals Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion on the Loess Plateau: A Case Study in the Ansai Watershed

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6266
Author(s):  
Hui Wei ◽  
Wenwu Zhao ◽  
Han Wang
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Erosion Environment

Large-scale vegetation restoration greatly changed the soil erosion environment in the Loess Plateau since the implementation of the “Grain for Green Project” (GGP) in 1999. Evaluating the effects of vegetation restoration on soil erosion is significant to local soil and water conservation and vegetation construction. Taking the Ansai Watershed as the case area, this study calculated the soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration, using the Chinese Soil Loess Equation (CSLE), based on rainfall and soil data, remote sensing images and socio-economic data. The effect of vegetation restoration on soil erosion was evaluated by comparing the average annual soil erosion modulus under two scenarios among 16 years. The results showed: (1) vegetation restoration significantly changed the local land use, characterized by the conversion of farmland to grassland, arboreal land, and shrub land. From 2000 to 2015, the area of arboreal land, shrub land, and grassland increased from 19.46 km2, 19.43 km2, and 719.49 km2 to 99.26 km2, 75.97 km2, and 1084.24 km2; while the farmland area decreased from 547.90 km2 to 34.35 km2; (2) the average annual soil erosion modulus from 2000 to 2015 under the initial and current scenarios of vegetation restoration was 114.44 t/(hm²·a) and 78.42 t/(hm²·a), respectively, with an average annual reduction of 4.81 × 106 t of soil erosion amount thanks to the vegetation restoration; (3) the dominant soil erosion intensity changed from “severe and light erosion” to “moderate and light erosion”, vegetation restoration greatly improved the soil erosion environment in the study area; (4) areas with increased erosion and decreased erosion were alternately distributed, accounting for 48% and 52% of the total land area, and mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of the watershed, respectively. Irrational land use changes in local areas (such as the conversion of farmland and grassland into construction land, etc.) and the ineffective implementation of vegetation restoration are the main reasons leading to the existence of areas with increased erosion.

scholarly journals Impact of Land Use Change on Water Conservation: A Case Study of Zhangjiakou in Yongding River

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Tianshi Pan ◽  
Lijun Zuo ◽  
Zengxiang Zhang ◽  
Xiaoli Zhao ◽  
Feifei Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Hydrological Process ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Yongding River

The implementation of ecological projects can largely change regional land use patterns, in turn altering the local hydrological process. Articulating these changes and their effects on ecosystem services, such as water conservation, is critical to understanding the impacts of land use activities and in directing future land planning toward regional sustainable development. Taking Zhangjiakou City of the Yongding River as the study area—a region with implementation of various ecological projects—the impact of land use changes on various hydrological components and water conservation capacity from 2000 to 2015 was simulated based on a soil and water assessment tool model (SWAT). An empirical regression model based on partial least squares was established to explore the contribution of different land use changes on water conservation. With special focus on the forest having the most complex effects on the hydrological process, the impacts of forest type and age on the water conservation capacity are discussed on different scales. Results show that between 2000 and 2015, the area of forest, grassland and cultivated land decreased by 0.05%, 0.98% and 1.64%, respectively, which reduces the regional evapotranspiration (0.48%) and soil water content (0.72%). The increase in settlement area (42.23%) is the main reason for the increase in water yield (14.52%). Most land use covered by vegetation has strong water conservation capacity, and the water conservation capacity of the forest is particularly outstanding. Farmland and settlements tend to have a negative effect on water conservation. The water conservation capacity of forest at all scales decreased significantly with the growth of forest (p < 0.05), while the water conservation capacity of different tree species had no significant difference. For the study area, increasing the forest area will be an effective way to improve the water conservation function, planting evergreen conifers can rapidly improve the regional water conservation capacity, while planting deciduous conifers is of great benefit to long-term sustainable development.

scholarly journals Impact of Climate and Land Use/Land Cover Change on the Water Resources of a Tropical Inland Valley Catchment in Uganda, East Africa

Climate ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Geofrey Gabiri ◽  
Bernd Diekkrüger ◽  
Kristian Näschen ◽  
Constanze Leemhuis ◽  
Roderick van der Linden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Lulc Change ◽  
Inland Valley ◽  
Headwater Catchment

The impact of climate and land use/land cover (LULC) change continues to threaten water resources availability for the agriculturally used inland valley wetlands and their catchments in East Africa. This study assessed climate and LULC change impacts on the hydrological processes of a tropical headwater inland valley catchment in Uganda. The hydrological model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied to analyze climate and LULC change impacts on the hydrological processes. An ensemble of six regional climate models (RCMs) from the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment for two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, were used for climate change assessment for historical (1976–2005) and future climate (2021–2050). Four LULC scenarios defined as exploitation, total conservation, slope conservation, and protection of headwater catchment were considered. The results indicate an increase in precipitation by 7.4% and 21.8% of the annual averages in the future under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Future wet conditions are more pronounced in the short rainy season than in the long rainy season. Flooding intensity is likely to increase during the rainy season with low flows more pronounced in the dry season. Increases in future annual averages of water yield (29.0% and 42.7% under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) and surface runoff (37.6% and 51.8% under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively) relative to the historical simulations are projected. LULC and climate change individually will cause changes in the inland valley hydrological processes, but more pronounced changes are expected if the drivers are combined, although LULC changes will have a dominant influence. Adoption of total conservation, slope conservation and protection of headwater catchment LULC scenarios will significantly reduce climate change impacts on water resources in the inland valley. Thus, if sustainable climate-smart management practices are adopted, the availability of water resources for human consumption and agricultural production will increase.

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