A study of agricultural intensification: Ancient Maya agricultural terracing in the Xunantunich hinterland, Belize, Central America

Through time all around the world the ability to increase agricultural production underlies the development of complex societies. Increase in agricultural production is accomplished by expending more labor or capital, or a combination of the two, through time per unit of agricultural land. This process, known as agricultural intensification, is an important subject of study for anthropologists. Investigation of agricultural intensification involves the study of agricultural features, practices, and strategies, as well as population history and environment. This dissertation focuses on agricultural intensification through a study of Classic period (A.D. 300-890) lowland Maya agricultural terracing in the Xunantunich hinterland, Belize, Central America. Data from archaeological survey, mapping, and excavation permit descriptions of terracing spatial extent, physical form, and soils. These data also permit inferences of terrace chronology and a reconstruction of the history of hinterland population densities. Based on these descriptions and inferences, I evaluate two agricultural intensification models. The first model identifies cultivation lengthening, of which terracing is a primary component, as the specific means by which agricultural intensification occurred. Agricultural intensification was necessitated by rising population densities and accompanying food demand. The second model conceptualizes agricultural activity associated with terracing as being conditioned by the distance from house to field variable. The data support the inference of a Late Classic period (A.D. 600-780) date for the majority of Xunantunich hinterland agricultural terracing, although some terracing may have begun during the Early Classic period (A.D. 300-600). The spatial layout and physical characteristics of Xunantunich hinterland terraces are similar to terraces studied elsewhere in the Maya lowlands. The inferred Classic Period (A.D. 300-890) population density history of the Xunantunich hinterland coupled with terrace soil analyses support the cultivation lengthening model of agricultural intensification. Artifact patterning preliminarily supports the inference that distance from house to field was an important variable regarding agricultural activities in terraced areas