DOCSLIB.ORG

Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala Context, Accomplishments and Challenges Ileana Gómez and V. Ernesto Méndez Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala Context, Accomplishments and Challenges Ileana Gómez and V. Ernesto Méndez ISBN 978-979-24-4699-9 41p. First edition by PRISMA, 2005 Second edition by CIFOR and PRISMA, 2007 Design and layout by Cyprianus Jaya Napiun Photos by PRISMA Published by Center for International Forestry Research Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang Bogor Barat 16680, Indonesia Tel.: +62 (251) 622622; Fax: +62 (251) 622100 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.cifor.cgiar.org Methodology and Acknowledgements This publication is a collaborative effort by PRISMA in the project “Learning to Build Accompaniment Models for Grassroots Forestry Organizations in Brazil and Central America,” sponsored by the Ford Foundation and executed jointly by the Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) and the Asociación Coordinadora Indígena Campesina de Agroforestería Comunitaria Centroamericana (ACICAFOC). The context analysis of the Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén (ACOFOP) combined a literature review of secondary sources with field work in Petén (March and October 2004). This included participation in workshops for community leaders and self-systematizers, and interviews with Erick Cuellar of the ACOFOP technical team, Richard Grant and Aldo Rodas of Alianza para un Mundo Justo, Luis Romero of the Centro Maya and Héctor Rosado, Director of the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP) in Petén. The paper was enriched by information provided at international workshops and exchange visits held in San Salvador (May 2004, methodological workshop) and Petén (October 2004). Peter Taylor (Department of Sociology, Colorado State University, United States) was in charge of methodological assistance and also carefully reviewed draft versions, making extremely useful suggestions that resulted in sounder research findings. The contents of the draft prior to this report were much clearer and better structured thanks to suggestions made by Deborah Barry (Program Officer for Development and Environment, Ford Foundation for México and Central America); Rubén Pasos (Project Coordinator); Marcedonio Cortave, Apolinario Córdova, Erick Cuellar, Walter Aroche, Carlos Kursel and Marío Rivas (ACOFOP); and Virgilio Reyes (FLACSO Guatemala). For their unflagging collaboration, contributions and information throughout the preparation of this paper, we would especially like to thank Marcedonio Cortave, Executive Director of ACOFOP, along with the ACOFOP Technical and Administrative Team. Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala (ACOFOP): Context, Accomplishments and Challenges iii Contents Methodology and Acknowledgements iii Abbreviations and Acronyms vi Summary vii Introduction 1 Community Forest Concessions: Stages in Their Development 3 Location and Ecology 3 Petén (1954-1989): The Development of a Territorial Role 4 Establishment of the Maya Biosphere Reserve (1989-1994) 5 Creation of Community Forest Concessions (1994-1996) 8 ACOFOP: Origins and Evolution (1996-2004) 10 Funding and Assistance for Community Forest Concessions 17 International Funding and Influence in Petén 17 USAID and its Role in Petén’s Conservation and Development 18 Assistance Models for Community Forest Concessions 19 The Official Assistance Model 20 Pro-Community Assistance 22 Lessons for Strengthening Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Local Livelihoods 23 Social and Environmental Impacts of Community Management on the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) 25 Natural Resource Conservation and Management 25 Changes in Livelihoods Strategies 27 Strengthening Community Organization 28 Challenges to Community Forest Management 29 The Adoption of a Territorial Perspective 29 Redefining Community Institutional Frameworks 34 The Challenge of Community Commercialization 34 Integrating Local Actors into Community Forest Management 37 References 39 Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala (ACOFOP): Context, Accomplishments and Challenges Abbreviations and Acronyms ACICAFOC Central American Indigenous and Peasant Coordinator ACOFOP Association of Forest Communities of Petén BCIE Central American Bank for Economic Integration BID Inter-American Development Bank BIOFOR Biodiversity and Sustainable Forestry Project CALAS Center for Environmental and Social Legal Action CATIE Tropical Agricultural Center for Research and Higher Education CCAD Central American Commission on Environment and Development CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CI Conservation International CIR Romero Christian Initiative CONAP National Council for Protected Areas CONCOFOP Consultative Council of Forest Communities of Petén DED German Development Service FARES Foundation for Antropological Research and Environmental Studies FORESCOM Community Forestry Concessions Enterprise FSC Forest Stewardship Council FYDEP Promotion and Economic Development of Petén GHF Global Heritage Fund HELVETAS Swiss Cooperation Agency ICCO Inter-Church Organization for Development Cooperation INAB National Forestry Institute INTA Institute for Agrarian Transformation ITTO International Tropical Timber Organization KFW KFW Banking Group MAGA Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food MBR Maya Biosphere Reserve ONG Non Governmental Organization PPP Puebla Panamá Plan PROSELVA Program for the Conservation of the Peten Tropical Forest RUTA Regional Unit for Technical Assistance SEGEPLAN General Secretariat for Economic Planning SIGAP Guatemalan Protected Areas System TLC Free Trade Agreement SUCHILMA Union of Chicle Tappers and Wood Workers TNC The Nature Conservancy UICN The World Conservation Union UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNO United Nations Organization USAID United States Agency for International Development WWF World Wildlife Fund Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala (ACOFOP): Context, Accomplishments and Challenges i Summary The Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) covers security problems from illegal trafficking in flora, 2,112,940 hectares (ha). It is located in the Peten fauna, archeological resources, undocumented region of northern Guatemala along the border migrants and illegal drugs. This trend was in of Mexico and Belize. The MBR is part of the contrast to the conservation initiatives that Mayan Forest (Selva Maya), shared by these resulted in the establishment of the MBR in countries. In the MBR, 445,804 ha are managed 1990. by community forest concessions, which in just a few years have developed a forest management The creation of the MBR led to a restructuring model that is having a positive impact on of local institutions under the direction of the natural resource conservation and community National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP); livelihood strategies. this centered on land use regulation, which is especially strict for the protected areas and Reducing the impact of forest fires and ending extraction zones. illegal lumbering and the encroachment of new settlements are the primary social and The urgency and efforts to conserve the Petén’s environmental accomplishments of community natural resources, the signing of the Peace management. As a result, families are reorga- Accords and pressure from local residents from nizing and improving their livelihood strategies, the Association of Forest Communities of Petén integrating the forest as their primary natural (ACOFOP) who were fighting for access to land asset. In addition, community concessions have and forest concessions, allowed communities to made successful inroads in the certified timber gain control of 445,804 ha of forest concessions. market and are taking the first steps to organize around its commercialization. International assistance agencies have played an important role in managing the MBR, using The history of how community forest concessions different strategies and contributions that have developed is enmeshed in the changing social evolved over time. One of the most important and political dynamics of a territory that played institutions has been the United States Agency several different roles during the past century. for International Development (USAID), not The once isolated and unknown forest, dominated only because of its financial support, but by the extraction of chicle and precious woods, also because of its involvement in designing became a receiving zone for domestic migrants the institutional management structure. As in the mid-20th century, with intense pressure CONAP’s primary counterpart, USAID focused on the agricultural frontier and serious national mainly on conservation technical assistance, Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala (ACOFOP): Context, Accomplishments and Challenges ii Ileana Gómez and V. Ernesto Méndez provided by international conservation NGOs, These models have each made very different, which in turn worked with local NGOs created yet complementary, contributions. Each type specifically to implement these projects. The most of assistance has facilitated the development of significant advances were in the area of technical components crucial to the success of community training, which includes forest management concessions and ACOFOP, although there are and commercialization. However, NGOs now new and more complex challenges requiring adopted a leadership and technical assistance new types of assistance. Current
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala: Context, Accomplishments and Challenges
    Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala Context, Accomplishments and Challenges Ileana Gómez and V. Ernesto Méndez Association of Forest Communities of Petén, Guatemala Context, Accomplishments and Challenges Ileana Gómez and V. Ernesto Méndez ISBN 978-979-24-4699-9 41p. First edition by PRISMA, 2005 Second edition by CIFOR and PRISMA, 2007 Design and layout by Cyprianus Jaya Napiun Photos by PRISMA Published by Center for International Forestry Research Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang Bogor Barat 16680, Indonesia Tel.: +62 (251) 622622; Fax: +62 (251) 622100 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.cifor.cgiar.org Methodology and Acknowledgements This publication is a collaborative effort by PRISMA in the project “Learning to Build Accompaniment Models for Grassroots Forestry Organizations in Brazil and Central America,” sponsored by the Ford Foundation and executed jointly by the Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) and the Asociación Coordinadora Indígena Campesina de Agroforestería Comunitaria Centroamericana (ACICAFOC). The context analysis of the Asociación de Comunidades Forestales de Petén (ACOFOP) combined a literature review of secondary sources with field work in Petén (March and October 2004). This included participation in workshops for community leaders and self-systematizers, and interviews with Erick Cuellar of the ACOFOP technical team, Richard Grant and Aldo Rodas of Alianza para un Mundo Justo, Luis Romero of the Centro Maya and Héctor Rosado, Director of the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP) in Petén. The paper was enriched by information provided at international workshops and exchange visits held in San Salvador (May 2004, methodological workshop) and Petén (October 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Crisis Múltiples En Naachtun: Aprovechadas, Superadas E Irreversibles
    CRISIS MÚLTIPLES EN NAACHTUN: APROVECHADAS, SUPERADAS E IRREVERSIBLES Philippe Nondédéo, Alejandro Patiño, Julien Sion, Dominique Michelet y Carlos Morales-Aguilar Proyecto Petén-Norte Naachtun, CNRS, Université de Paris 1, University of Calgary Introducción Si el famoso colapso maya ha siempre atraído la atención de los investigadores para entender sus causas profundas y sus consecuencias a todos niveles en la civilización maya (véase por ejemplo entre varios otros Aimers 2007; Culbert 1973; Demarest et al. 2004), no hay que olvidar que varias crisis “menores” atravesaron la historia de las ciudades mayas. Si la de 150 d.C. cobró importancia en los años recientes por sus repercusiones en las tierras bajas centrales en particular (Hansen et al. 2008; Haug et al. 2003; Hodell et al. 2004; Wahl et al. 2007), no hay que subestimar las otras crisis, a veces poco perceptibles, que afectaron la vida de los sitios, ya sean de origen sociopolítica, económica, paleo-ambiental o de otra naturaleza. Para identificar tales crisis que afectaron, pero que no pusieron en peligro la ocupación de un sitio, la herramienta la más apropiada para el arqueólogo queda sin lugar a dudas el control de la cronología, el único medio que permite identificar fases de ruptura o de cambios rápidos en la sociedad, marcadores implícitos de fenómenos de crisis. El sitio de Naachtun se inscribe perfectamente en esta problemática ya que su historia inicia y termina con una crisis. Es un sitio de las Tierras Bajas centrales que lleva a adelantar el concepto de crisis positivas en el sentido de que una crisis no sólo puede beneficiar a ciertos individuos o comunidades sino que implica en sí y requiere a nivel de la sociedad entera cierta reorganización, cierta adaptación que permite a esta sociedad superar estos momentos de máxima tensión.
    [Show full text]
  • Download/Attachments/Dandelon/Ids/ DE SUB Hamburg2083391e82e43888c12572dc00487f57.Pdf Burtner, J
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Tourism and Territory in the Mayan World Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5727x51w Author Devine, Jennifer Ann Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Tourism and Territory in the Mayan World By Jennifer Ann Devine A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction for the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Gillian Hart, Co-Chair Professor Michael Watts, Co-Chair Professor Jake Kosek Professor Rosemary Joyce Fall 2013 Abstract Tourism and Territory in the Mayan World by Jennifer Ann Devine Doctor of Philosophy in Geography University of California, Berkeley Professor Gillian Hart, Co-Chair Professor Michael Watts, Co-Chair In post Peace Accords Guatemala, tourism development is engendering new claims and claimants to territory in a climate of land tenure insecurity and enduring inequality. Through ethnographical research, this dissertation explores the territoriality of tourism development through the empirical lens of an archaeological site called Mirador in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. I develop a process-based understanding of territoriality to analyze tourism related struggles over identity, boundary making, land use, heritage claims, and territorial rule at the frontier of state power. In theorizing tourism’s territoriality, I argue that
    [Show full text]
  • The Case Study of Apocalypto
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288187016 Relativism, Revisionism, Aboriginalism, and Emic/Etic Truth: The Case Study of Apocalypto Article · August 2013 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-1065-2-8 CITATIONS READS 2 2,540 1 author: Richard D Hansen University of Utah 33 PUBLICATIONS 650 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Mirador Basin Project, Guatemala View project Mirador Basin Archaeological Project View project All content following this page was uploaded by Richard D Hansen on 30 March 2016. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Chapter 8 Relativism, Revisionism, Aboriginalism, and Emic/Etic Truth: The Case Study of Apocalypto Richard D. Hansen Abstract Popular fi lm depictions of varied cultures, ranging from the Chinese, Africans, and Native Americans have repeatedly provided a variant perception of the culture. In works of fi ction, this fl aw cannot only provide us with entertainment, but with insights and motives in the ideological, social, or economic agendas of the authors and/or directors as well as those of the critics. Mel Gibson’s Maya epic Apocalypto has provided an interesting case study depicting indigenous warfare, environmental degradation, and ritual violence, characteristics that have been derived from multidisciplinary research, ethnohistoric studies, and other historical and archaeological investigations. The fi lm received extraordinary attention from the public, both as positive feedback and negative criticism from a wide range of observ- ers. Thus, the elements of truth, public perception, relativism, revisionism, and emic/etic perspectives coalesced into a case where truth, fi ction, and the virtues and vices of the authors and director of the fi lm as well as those of critics were exposed.
    [Show full text]
  • Foundation for Maya Cultural and Natural Heritage
    Our mission is to coordinate efforts Foundation for Maya Cultural and provide resources to identify, and Natural Heritage lead, and promote projects that protect and maintain the cultural Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya and natural heritage of Guatemala. 2 # nombre de sección “What is in play is immense” HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco he Maya Biosphere Reserve is located in the heart of the Selva Maya, the Maya Jungle. It is an ecological treasure that covers one fifth of Guatemala’s landmass (21,602 Tsquare kilometers). Much of the area remains intact. It was established to preserve—for present and future generations— one of the most spectacular areas of natural and cultural heritage in the world. The Maya Biosphere Reserve is Guatemala’s last stronghold for large-bodied, wide-ranging endangered species, including the jaguar, puma, tapir, and black howler monkey. It also holds the highest concentration of Maya ruins. Clockwise from bottomleft José Pivaral (President of Pacunam), Prince Albert II of Monaco (sponsor), Mel Gibson (sponsor), Richard Hansen (Director of Mirador The year 2012 marks the emblematic change of an era in the ancient calendar of the Maya. This Archaeological Project) at El Mirador momentous event has sparked global interest in environmental and cultural issues in Guatemala. After decades of hard work by archaeologists, environmentalists, biologists, epigraphers, and other scientists dedicated to understanding the ancient Maya civilization, the eyes of the whole Pacunam Overview and Objectives 2 world are now focused on our country. Maya Biosphere Reserve 4 This provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to share with the world our pressing cause: Why is it important? the Maya Biosphere Reserve is in great danger.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Forest Concessionaires: Resisting Green Grabs and Producing Political Subjects in Guatemala
    The Journal of Peasant Studies ISSN: 0306-6150 (Print) 1743-9361 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/fjps20 Community forest concessionaires: resisting green grabs and producing political subjects in Guatemala Jennifer A. Devine To cite this article: Jennifer A. Devine (2018) Community forest concessionaires: resisting green grabs and producing political subjects in Guatemala, The Journal of Peasant Studies, 45:3, 565-584, DOI: 10.1080/03066150.2016.1215305 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2016.1215305 Published online: 27 Sep 2016. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 1046 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 8 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=fjps20 The Journal of Peasant Studies, 2018 Vol. 45, No. 3, 565–584, https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2016.1215305 Community forest concessionaires: resisting green grabs and producing political subjects in Guatemala Jennifer A. Devine In 2005, Guatemalan community forest concessionaires achieved a remarkable legislative victory that reversed a green land grab in the Maya Biosphere. The fight over this space, the Mirador Basin, provides valuable contributions to analyses of global land grabs, grassroots politics and power relations underpinning environmental governance. First, the fight for the Mirador Basin illustrates how green land grabs create new natures, rather than simply enclosing existing green spaces. Second, it contributes to recent scholarship detailing land-grabbing practices of resistance, acquiescence and incorporation ‘from below’ by describing how Maya Biosphere community forest concessionaires were able to reverse a green grab.
    [Show full text]
  • Ceremonial Plazas in the Cival Region, Guatemala
    Monumental Foundations: An Investigation of the Preclassic Development of Civic- Ceremonial Plazas in the Cival Region, Guatemala by Kaitlin R. Ahern May 2020 A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology This page is intentionally left blank. ii Copyright by Kaitlin R. Ahern 2020 II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: There is a long list of individuals and organizations that have both contributed to my formation as both an archaeologist and as a scholar. I am immensely grateful to my advisor, Dr. Timothy Chevral and committee members Dr. Douglas Perrelli and Dr. Sarunas Milisauskas, for their guidance and assistance in the completion of my doctorate. I am thankful to Warren Barbour for warmly accepting me into the Master’s program at the University at Buffalo and welcoming me into UB’s Teotihuacan Archaeology Laboratory. I will always treasure my memories with him discussing the formation of cities and states, especially urban planning and Teotihuacan. He will be greatly missed. Timothy Chevral graciously became my new chair once Warren Barbour retired. Throughout my graduate school education, he taught a wide array of courses that served to enrich my anthropological and archaeological understanding. His courses also greatly enhanced my knowledge regarding archaeological theory and introduced me to the archaeological sciences. Douglas Perrelli provided me with a North American perspective to my research and spent time helping me prepare for my advanced exams. Sarunas Milisauskas taught me about the history of archaeology and how it has impacted archaeological approaches in other countries.
    [Show full text]
  • 8. Cultural and Environmental Components of the First Maya States: a Perspective from the Central and Southern Maya Lowlands
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323172522 8. Cultural and Environmental Components of the First Maya States: A Perspective from the Central and Southern Maya Lowlands Chapter · December 2017 DOI: 10.9783/9781934536087-013 CITATIONS READS 8 233 1 author: Richard D Hansen University of Utah 33 PUBLICATIONS 650 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Mirador Basin Project, Guatemala View project Mirador Basin Archaeological Project View project All content following this page was uploaded by Richard D Hansen on 17 May 2018. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. 8 Cultural and Environmental Components of the First Maya States: A Perspective from the Central and Southern Maya Lowlands richard d. hansen Archaeology is the only discipline that can tell us how government began, the nature of the world’s first governments, and the role those governments played in the organization of their respective political systems. (Haas 1982:216) Archaic states are stratified into a series of classes including full-time occupational specialists, and are topped by a highly centralized, hierarchical government that rules a territory with more or less defined boundaries. (Sharer 1994:139) he search for a comprehensive understanding of the development of Tsocial and political complexity in Mesoamerica has attracted consider- able interest and prompted significant debate. Much of the controversial posturing that has surrounded this topic can be attributed to the lack of adequate or uniform definitions, incomplete data, faulty or inadequate in- terpretations of available data, and the exploitation of obscure semantics to justify specific theoretical positions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Uses and Abuses of the Ancient Maya
    p. 1 THE USES AND ABUSES OF THE ANCIENT MAYA by David Webster Prepared for The Emergence of the Modern World Conference Otzenhausen, Germany Organizers Jared Diamond and James Robinson INTRODUCTION I happen to study an ancient people – the Classic Maya (AD 250-900; Fig. 1) – who are both immensely popular and widely misunderstood by the public. Popularity guarantees perennial interest in archaeological research (and generous funding), but also means that people invest the Maya with their own hopes, fears, and prejudices. Archaeologists are a bit two-faced about all this. They strive to preserve the aura of mystery and romance that surrounds these ancient people, and at the same time to understand them better and to correct widespread misconceptions about them. One might fairly say that both the public and professional archaeologists have appropriated the Classic Maya for their own purposes. In this paper I hope to provide some insights about how we have used and abused the Maya, along with a frank discussion of what we know and don’t know about them. I thought long and hard about the title of our conference – “Emergence of the Modern World”. Taken at face value, it indicates a concern with tracing the roots of our modern world in inchoate forms evident in earlier times and cultures – essentially an exercise in cultural evolution and historical continuity. In this perspective the ancient Maya tradition ranks pretty low in its contribution to modern life compared, say, to those of Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, or China. All of those great traditions of culture (and others I could list) have bequeathed basic institutions, vocabulary, ideologies, cuisine, canons of art and architecture, and much else to modern people in general, or at least to very large segments of today’s humanity.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeologists Are Trying ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION to Understand the Details
    A STORY OF FREEDOM • THE FORT MIMS' MASSACRE • THE MIRADOR BASIN MAYA american archaeologyFALL 2007 a quarterly publication of The Archaeological Conservancy Vol. 11 No. 3 Searching For Evidence OFOF THETHE $3.95 MimbresMimbres CultureCulture american archaeology a quarterly publication of The Archaeological Conservancy Vol. 11 No. 3 fall 2007 39 COVER FEATURE ARL 39 WHAT BECAME OF THE MIMBRES? T BY TIM VANDERPOOL An excavation in southwest New Mexico TREJO / could answer questions about this fascinating culture. MONICA 12 CLARIFYING AN HISTORIC EVENT BY WAYNE CURTIS 12 In 1813 some 250 soldiers and settlers were massacred at Fort Mims. Archaeologists are trying ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION to understand the details. 18 SAVING THE MIRADOR BASIN BY MICHAEL BAWAYA Guatemala’s Mirador Basin and its rich Maya legacy are endangered. Archaeologist Richard Hansen and his supporters have an ambitious plan to save it. 26 SIMULATING PREHISTORIC LIFE BY DAVID MALAKOFF The archaeological record can tell researchers what happened, but not why it RABINOWITZ happened. Computer simulations could reveal the causes of prehistoric events. 18 Y 32 A STORY OF FREEDOM JERR BY RACHEL FEIT How did emancipated slaves make the transition to free men and women? 2 Lay of the Land A community archaeology project in Houston is searching for answers. 3 Letters 44 new acquisition 5 Events JOINING FORCES 7 In the News The Conservancy partners with other preservation organizations to save an important Hopewell site. Possible Discovery of Aztec Ruler’s Tomb • Ancient Explosion May Have 46 new acquisition Affected Clovis People • Climate PRESERVING A DAN RIVER VILLAGE Change Leads to Early Agriculture The Bryant site has great research potential.
    [Show full text]
  • Naachtún, Petén, Guatemala: First Analyses, Guatemala
    FAMSI © 2012: Debra S. Walker and Kathryn Reese-Taylor Naachtún, Petén, Guatemala: First Analyses, Guatemala Research Year: 2006 Culture: Maya Chronology: Classic Location: Petén, Guatemala Site: Naachtún Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Prior Research Settlement Summary Ceramic Analysis Methodology Chronology Phase Summaries A Summary of Significant Findings Unanswered Questions Acknowledgments References Cited Abstract This report documents findings of the Naachtun Archaeological Project (NAP), specifically detailing the ceramic data collected in 2004 and 2005. It also outlines the ceramic sequence tied to a series of radiocarbon dates run with FAMSI support. The report briefly addresses some preliminary results of recent Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) of sherds from several Naachtun contexts. Finally, information on a series of looted pots rescued by the site guardian is reported in the Appendix. Submitted 10/24/2012 by: Debra S. Walker Research Curator, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville [email protected] Kathryn Reese-Taylor University of Calgary [email protected] 2 Figure 1. Map of Maya Lowlands locating Naachtun and sites mentioned in text. Introduction The Maya site of Naachtun is located in northern Peten, Guatemala just one kilometer south of the Mexican border (Figure 1). It sits on an upland feature known as the Central Karst Plateau (CKP; Reese-Taylor 2011). The NAP investigations documented nearly 1000 years of occupation at the site and revealed that, like today, Naachtun stood on a hotly contested frontier throughout the Classic era (Nondedeo et al. 2011; Reese-Taylor et al. 2009; Walker 2008; Rangel and Reese-Taylor 2005). When work began in 2004, Naachtun was proposed to be the site known as Masul in the epigraphic record (Mathews et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Maya Impacts on the Earth's Surface: an Early Anthropocene Analog?
    Quaternary Science Reviews 124 (2015) 1e30 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quascirev Invited review Ancient Maya impacts on the Earth's surface: An Early Anthropocene analog? * Tim Beach a, , Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach a, Duncan Cook b, Nicholas Dunning c, Douglas J. Kennett d, Samantha Krause a, Richard Terry e, Debora Trein f, Fred Valdez f a University of Texas-Austin, Department of Geography and the Environment, United States b Australian Catholic University, Australia c University of Cincinnati, Department of Geography, United States d Pennsylvania State University, Department of Anthropology, United States e Brigham Young University, United States f University of Texas-Austin, Department of Anthropology, United States article info abstract Article history: The measure of the “Mayacene,” a microcosm of the Early Anthropocene that occurred from c.3000to Received 2 January 2015 1000 BP, comes from multiple Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental records. We synthesized the evi- Received in revised form dence for Maya impacts on climate, vegetation, hydrology and the lithosphere, from studies of soils, 18 May 2015 lakes, floodplains, wetlands and other ecosystems. Maya civilization had likely altered local to regional Accepted 28 May 2015 ecosystems and hydrology by the Preclassic Period (3000-1700 BP), but these impacts waned by 1000 BP. Available online 30 June 2015 They altered ecosystems with vast urban and rural infrastructure that included thousands of reservoirs, wetland fields and canals, terraces, field ridges, and temples. Although there is abundant evidence that Keywords: Early Anthropocene indicates the Maya altered their forests, even at the large urban complex of Tikal as much as 40% of the fl Mayacene forest remained intact through the Classic period.
    [Show full text]