MAYA RESERVOIR AND DAM CONSTRUCTION IN GUATEMALA’S PETEN DURING THE CLASSIC PERIOD (200-800AD)

The Ancient Maya founded a civilization that endured for thousands of years in the tropical environment of southern Mesoamerica noted for its variable and intense dry season. A century of research in this region has revealed complex water management systems near urban centers designed to capture and store vast quantities of water and possibly provided aquaculture. Over the last decade with growing lidar availability, studies of Maya water management have grown exponentially. This paper uses GIS analysis to characterize dams and reservoirs visible in lidar data in and around three major Maya sites including El Zotz in the central Peten, Rio Azul to the north, and Nakum to the east. This comparative study allows us to better understand developments in landesque capital at the landscape level. Laboratory analyses of geochemistry, radiocarbon dating, archaeological materials recovered from water management features have aided our efforts at characterization and chronology building. The evidence suggests increasingly vigorous construction efforts beginning during the Terminal Preclassic (100-200 A.D), which may indicate societal responses to increasing population and environmental pressures during this pivotal transition in Maya civilization. Beyond the Maya area, we hope that this work will serve as an important case study in ancient landesque capital, especially water management strategies. Furthermore, this investigation resonates with modern efforts to find engineering solutions to meet societal needs in times of climate change and instability.