In this paper we present the large variety of techniques, tools, and technologies used for the re... more In this paper we present the large variety of techniques, tools, and technologies used for the recording, storage, processing, analysis, and visualization of the archaeological data of the Classic period Maya city of Chunchucmil, Yucatán, Mexico. From pencil and paper maps, drawn by pace and compass using traditional Yucatecan landmarks, to high-tech remote sensing, GIS, and 3D technology, the Pakbeh Regional Economy Project has integrated a series of age-old methods with some of the latest software, resulting in a robust body of GIS, remote sensing, and multimedia data products. At its apogee, AD 400–600, Chunchucmil grew to become a sprawling urban center that housed 31,000 to 43,000 residents over an area covering 20–25 km 2. Strategically located at the edge of several ecological zones, and only 27 km from the Gulf of Mexico, Chunchucmil became a specialized trading site and redistribution center for its region. Despite being located in an agriculturally stunted location (the driest portion of the entire Maya area, with limited soils), this city displayed the highest structural density of any Classic period Maya site. With hundreds of kilometers of boundary walls and more than a thousand residential groups (only counting the mapped portion of the site), the work of recording and analyzing the abundant features of Chunchucmil has been quite challenging. Fortunately, the location of Chunchucmil in the arid landscape of northwest Yucatán has allowed our project to successfully use both recent and historic aerial photographs, AIRSAR (airborne synthetic aperture radar), and diachronic multispectral satellite imagery from NASA's LANDSAT satellites to reveal a wealth of archaeological data which would otherwise remain undetected in the humid tropics. Two GIS databases were created: one with Intergraph GeoMedia Pro for intrasite features, and one in ArcGIS for the regional database of peripheral site locations and features. These GIS databases are used for the storage, analysis, and visualization of all the archaeological data collected at Chunchucmil. Finally, portions of the site were reconstructed using the Unreal Engine, a 3D visualization software, to create an immersive three-dimensional real-time walkthrough of both the major and minor features of the site. In this paper, we will present a review of the challenges and advantages of each low-tech and high-tech tool as well as their integration in the analysis of the city of Chunchucmil.
The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the a... more The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the ancient Maya in northwestern Yucatan, Mexico. The region constitutes an ideal laboratory in which to investigate these questions, as it has very limited agricultural potential and fewer options for intensification than are found in the southern and central lowlands, yet many times more people lived here during the Classic period than can eke out a living today, and it has abundant evidence of market trade. Because crop yields in outfields are very low, and known intensification techniques are possibly incapable of sufficient yield enhancement, we anticipated that it would be an easy task to demonstrate that this population was dependent on imports of food and other necessities of life from beyond the region and therefore had a complex exchange economy. Twelve years later, we report on how wrong we were. We are still struggling with an evaluation of agricultural insufficiency. We explore the many and varied lines of evidence we have pursued and the confounding factors inherent in them, including problems with reconstructing ancient population size, equating contemporary and historical crop yields and farming practices, as well as ancient with modern environmental conditions, and hypothesizing potential forms of agricultural intensification, including intensive fertilization and other yield enhancement techniques, and reliance on alternative crops. The best that we can say at this juncture is that using contemporary production and consumption standards, the most conservative population estimates, and the most liberal estimates of available land in the surrounding region, we can conclude only that regional agricultural self-sufficiency remains unlikely but not proved. What initially seemed like an archaeological "no-brainer" has required us to delve into the realm of archaeological epistemology that we would like to share with our colleagues.
This case study presents the results of an extensive remote sensing survey testing the capabiliti... more This case study presents the results of an extensive remote sensing survey testing the capabilities of multispectral and Synthetic Aperture Radar data to detect ancient Maya settlements in the seasonally inundated near-coastal region of northwest Yucatan. The results are compared to similar recent studies published by researchers working in the southern Maya lowlands. It is concluded that seasonal and regional variation across the Maya area precludes universal application of a singular remote sensing technique using these and similar platforms. Instead, speci fi c climatic, seasonal, and physiographic context must be considered in the selection of a remote sensing data set. For multispectral data, spectral contrast, spectral resolution, and temporal resolution appear to be more critical for site detection than spatial resolution. For the AirSAR polarimetric data, it is concluded that the L-band (rather than the highly anticipated P-band) resulted in a better correlation between positive returns and monumental architecture within the forest canopy. Yet, the C-band AirSAR DEM appears to have the broadest application in Maya archaeological survey, especially when combined with other remote sensing data sets.
los sitios mayas más extensos y densamente poblados del Clásico Temprano, aunque no tiene textos ... more los sitios mayas más extensos y densamente poblados del Clásico Temprano, aunque no tiene textos glíficos ni pirámides enormes. Diez temporadas de mapeo han revelado que el sitio tuvo un patrón de asentamiento complejo que se puede dividir en varias zonas, basándose en datos tales como: la presencia de conjuntos arquitectónicos ceremoniales, la densidad de residencias y el nivel de participación en la economía urbana. Esta investigación se enfoca en el difícil trabajo de definir los límites de la ciudad y presentar estimaciones sobre el tamaño de su población.
Soil Science Society of America Journal, Jan 1, 2009
This study explored and characterized soil physical and chemical properties to determine how the ... more This study explored and characterized soil physical and chemical properties to determine how the ancient Maya of Chunchucmil, Yucatán, Mexico, fed themselves. Our objectives were to examine the soil resources and the areas of agricultural importance surrounding Chunchucmil and ...
The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the a... more The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the ancient Maya in northwestern Yucatan, Mexico. The region constitutes an ideal laboratory in which to investigate these questions, as it has very limited agricultural potential and fewer options for intensification than are found in the southern and central lowlands, yet many times more people lived here during the Classic period than can eke out a living today, and it has abundant evidence of market trade. Because crop yields in outfields are very low, and known intensification techniques are possibly incapable of sufficient yield enhancement, we anticipated that it would be an easy task to demonstrate that this population was dependent on imports of food and other necessities of life from beyond the region and therefore had a complex exchange economy. Twelve years later, we report on how wrong we were. We are still struggling with an evaluation of agricultural insufficiency. We explore the many and varied lines of evidence we have pursued and the confounding factors inherent in them, including problems with reconstructing ancient population size, equating contemporary and historical crop yields and farming practices, as well as ancient with modern environmental conditions, and hypothesizing potential forms of agricultural intensification, including intensive fertilization and other yield enhancement techniques, and reliance on alternative crops. The best that we can say at this juncture is that using contemporary production and consumption standards, the most conservative population estimates, and the most liberal estimates of available land in the surrounding region, we can conclude only that regional agricultural self-sufficiency remains unlikely but not proved. What initially seemed like an archaeological "no-brainer" has required us to delve into the realm of archaeological epistemology that we would like to share with our colleagues.
The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the a... more The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the ancient Maya in northwestern Yucatan, Mexico. The region constitutes an ideal laboratory in which to investigate these questions, as it has very limited agricultural potential and fewer options for intensification than are found in the southern and central lowlands, yet many times more people lived here during the Classic period than can eke out a living today, and it has abundant evidence of market trade. Because crop yields in outfields are very low, and known intensification techniques are possibly incapable of sufficient yield enhancement, we anticipated that it would be an easy task to demonstrate that this population was dependent on imports of food and other necessities of life from beyond the region and therefore had a complex exchange economy. Twelve years later, we report on how wrong we were. We are still struggling with an evaluation of agricultural insufficiency. We explore the many and varied lines of evidence we have pursued and the confounding factors inherent in them, including problems with reconstructing ancient population size, equating contemporary and historical crop yields and farming practices, as well as ancient with modern environmental conditions, and hypothesizing potential forms of agricultural intensification, including intensive fertilization and other yield enhancement techniques, and reliance on alternative crops. The best that we can say at this juncture is that using contemporary production and consumption standards, the most conservative population estimates, and the most liberal estimates of available land in the surrounding region, we can conclude only that regional agricultural self-sufficiency remains unlikely but not proved. What initially seemed like an archaeological "no-brainer" has required us to delve into the realm of archaeological epistemology that we would like to share with our colleagues.
Resumen Chunchucmil, centro urbano del noroeste de Yucatán, fue uno de los sitios mayas más exten... more Resumen Chunchucmil, centro urbano del noroeste de Yucatán, fue uno de los sitios mayas más extensos y densamente poblados del Clásico Temprano, aunque no tiene textos glíficos ni pirámides enormes. Diez temporadas de mapeo han revelado que el sitio tuvo ...
Available for Free Download on the University Press of Colorado website (click on the link below,... more Available for Free Download on the University Press of Colorado website (click on the link below, then click "Read Now").
In this paper we present the large variety of techniques, tools, and technologies used for the re... more In this paper we present the large variety of techniques, tools, and technologies used for the recording, storage, processing, analysis, and visualization of the archaeological data of the Classic period Maya city of Chunchucmil, Yucatán, Mexico. From pencil and paper maps, drawn by pace and compass using traditional Yucatecan landmarks, to high-tech remote sensing, GIS, and 3D technology, the Pakbeh Regional Economy Project has integrated a series of age-old methods with some of the latest software, resulting in a robust body of GIS, remote sensing, and multimedia data products. At its apogee, AD 400–600, Chunchucmil grew to become a sprawling urban center that housed 31,000 to 43,000 residents over an area covering 20–25 km 2. Strategically located at the edge of several ecological zones, and only 27 km from the Gulf of Mexico, Chunchucmil became a specialized trading site and redistribution center for its region. Despite being located in an agriculturally stunted location (the driest portion of the entire Maya area, with limited soils), this city displayed the highest structural density of any Classic period Maya site. With hundreds of kilometers of boundary walls and more than a thousand residential groups (only counting the mapped portion of the site), the work of recording and analyzing the abundant features of Chunchucmil has been quite challenging. Fortunately, the location of Chunchucmil in the arid landscape of northwest Yucatán has allowed our project to successfully use both recent and historic aerial photographs, AIRSAR (airborne synthetic aperture radar), and diachronic multispectral satellite imagery from NASA's LANDSAT satellites to reveal a wealth of archaeological data which would otherwise remain undetected in the humid tropics. Two GIS databases were created: one with Intergraph GeoMedia Pro for intrasite features, and one in ArcGIS for the regional database of peripheral site locations and features. These GIS databases are used for the storage, analysis, and visualization of all the archaeological data collected at Chunchucmil. Finally, portions of the site were reconstructed using the Unreal Engine, a 3D visualization software, to create an immersive three-dimensional real-time walkthrough of both the major and minor features of the site. In this paper, we will present a review of the challenges and advantages of each low-tech and high-tech tool as well as their integration in the analysis of the city of Chunchucmil.
The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the a... more The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the ancient Maya in northwestern Yucatan, Mexico. The region constitutes an ideal laboratory in which to investigate these questions, as it has very limited agricultural potential and fewer options for intensification than are found in the southern and central lowlands, yet many times more people lived here during the Classic period than can eke out a living today, and it has abundant evidence of market trade. Because crop yields in outfields are very low, and known intensification techniques are possibly incapable of sufficient yield enhancement, we anticipated that it would be an easy task to demonstrate that this population was dependent on imports of food and other necessities of life from beyond the region and therefore had a complex exchange economy. Twelve years later, we report on how wrong we were. We are still struggling with an evaluation of agricultural insufficiency. We explore the many and varied lines of evidence we have pursued and the confounding factors inherent in them, including problems with reconstructing ancient population size, equating contemporary and historical crop yields and farming practices, as well as ancient with modern environmental conditions, and hypothesizing potential forms of agricultural intensification, including intensive fertilization and other yield enhancement techniques, and reliance on alternative crops. The best that we can say at this juncture is that using contemporary production and consumption standards, the most conservative population estimates, and the most liberal estimates of available land in the surrounding region, we can conclude only that regional agricultural self-sufficiency remains unlikely but not proved. What initially seemed like an archaeological "no-brainer" has required us to delve into the realm of archaeological epistemology that we would like to share with our colleagues.
This case study presents the results of an extensive remote sensing survey testing the capabiliti... more This case study presents the results of an extensive remote sensing survey testing the capabilities of multispectral and Synthetic Aperture Radar data to detect ancient Maya settlements in the seasonally inundated near-coastal region of northwest Yucatan. The results are compared to similar recent studies published by researchers working in the southern Maya lowlands. It is concluded that seasonal and regional variation across the Maya area precludes universal application of a singular remote sensing technique using these and similar platforms. Instead, speci fi c climatic, seasonal, and physiographic context must be considered in the selection of a remote sensing data set. For multispectral data, spectral contrast, spectral resolution, and temporal resolution appear to be more critical for site detection than spatial resolution. For the AirSAR polarimetric data, it is concluded that the L-band (rather than the highly anticipated P-band) resulted in a better correlation between positive returns and monumental architecture within the forest canopy. Yet, the C-band AirSAR DEM appears to have the broadest application in Maya archaeological survey, especially when combined with other remote sensing data sets.
los sitios mayas más extensos y densamente poblados del Clásico Temprano, aunque no tiene textos ... more los sitios mayas más extensos y densamente poblados del Clásico Temprano, aunque no tiene textos glíficos ni pirámides enormes. Diez temporadas de mapeo han revelado que el sitio tuvo un patrón de asentamiento complejo que se puede dividir en varias zonas, basándose en datos tales como: la presencia de conjuntos arquitectónicos ceremoniales, la densidad de residencias y el nivel de participación en la economía urbana. Esta investigación se enfoca en el difícil trabajo de definir los límites de la ciudad y presentar estimaciones sobre el tamaño de su población.
Soil Science Society of America Journal, Jan 1, 2009
This study explored and characterized soil physical and chemical properties to determine how the ... more This study explored and characterized soil physical and chemical properties to determine how the ancient Maya of Chunchucmil, Yucatán, Mexico, fed themselves. Our objectives were to examine the soil resources and the areas of agricultural importance surrounding Chunchucmil and ...
The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the a... more The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the ancient Maya in northwestern Yucatan, Mexico. The region constitutes an ideal laboratory in which to investigate these questions, as it has very limited agricultural potential and fewer options for intensification than are found in the southern and central lowlands, yet many times more people lived here during the Classic period than can eke out a living today, and it has abundant evidence of market trade. Because crop yields in outfields are very low, and known intensification techniques are possibly incapable of sufficient yield enhancement, we anticipated that it would be an easy task to demonstrate that this population was dependent on imports of food and other necessities of life from beyond the region and therefore had a complex exchange economy. Twelve years later, we report on how wrong we were. We are still struggling with an evaluation of agricultural insufficiency. We explore the many and varied lines of evidence we have pursued and the confounding factors inherent in them, including problems with reconstructing ancient population size, equating contemporary and historical crop yields and farming practices, as well as ancient with modern environmental conditions, and hypothesizing potential forms of agricultural intensification, including intensive fertilization and other yield enhancement techniques, and reliance on alternative crops. The best that we can say at this juncture is that using contemporary production and consumption standards, the most conservative population estimates, and the most liberal estimates of available land in the surrounding region, we can conclude only that regional agricultural self-sufficiency remains unlikely but not proved. What initially seemed like an archaeological "no-brainer" has required us to delve into the realm of archaeological epistemology that we would like to share with our colleagues.
The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the a... more The Pakbeh Regional Economy Program is studying the vexing questions of economic life among the ancient Maya in northwestern Yucatan, Mexico. The region constitutes an ideal laboratory in which to investigate these questions, as it has very limited agricultural potential and fewer options for intensification than are found in the southern and central lowlands, yet many times more people lived here during the Classic period than can eke out a living today, and it has abundant evidence of market trade. Because crop yields in outfields are very low, and known intensification techniques are possibly incapable of sufficient yield enhancement, we anticipated that it would be an easy task to demonstrate that this population was dependent on imports of food and other necessities of life from beyond the region and therefore had a complex exchange economy. Twelve years later, we report on how wrong we were. We are still struggling with an evaluation of agricultural insufficiency. We explore the many and varied lines of evidence we have pursued and the confounding factors inherent in them, including problems with reconstructing ancient population size, equating contemporary and historical crop yields and farming practices, as well as ancient with modern environmental conditions, and hypothesizing potential forms of agricultural intensification, including intensive fertilization and other yield enhancement techniques, and reliance on alternative crops. The best that we can say at this juncture is that using contemporary production and consumption standards, the most conservative population estimates, and the most liberal estimates of available land in the surrounding region, we can conclude only that regional agricultural self-sufficiency remains unlikely but not proved. What initially seemed like an archaeological "no-brainer" has required us to delve into the realm of archaeological epistemology that we would like to share with our colleagues.
Resumen Chunchucmil, centro urbano del noroeste de Yucatán, fue uno de los sitios mayas más exten... more Resumen Chunchucmil, centro urbano del noroeste de Yucatán, fue uno de los sitios mayas más extensos y densamente poblados del Clásico Temprano, aunque no tiene textos glíficos ni pirámides enormes. Diez temporadas de mapeo han revelado que el sitio tuvo ...
Available for Free Download on the University Press of Colorado website (click on the link below,... more Available for Free Download on the University Press of Colorado website (click on the link below, then click "Read Now").
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