The End of the Archaic in the Soconusco Region of Mesoamerica

Lesure, Richard G.; Sinensky, R. J.; Wake, Thomas A.

doi:10.4324/9780429054679-16

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Even after being adopted as a staple in some regions, maize consumption patterns varied well into the Formative period. Lesure and coauthors (2021) showed that, overall, from Initial through Middle Formative periods, inhabitants of Soconusco in southwest Chiapas ate increasing amounts of maize, even while consumption among individuals continued to differ. This corroborates the findings in southern Belize of Kennett and colleagues (2020) who reported that, even after the maize staple diet was adopted, some individuals consumed substantially more maize than others.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Maize in the Maya Area

Lohse

Morgan

Jones³

et al. 2022

Latin Am. antiq.

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The history of maize in Central America and surrounding areas has implications for the slow transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The spread of early forms of domesticated maize from southern Mexico across Mesoamerica and into South America has been dated to about 8,700–6,500 years ago on the basis of a handful of studies relying primarily on the analysis of pollen, phytoliths, or starch grains. Recent genomic data from southern Belize have been used to identify Archaic period south-to-north population movements from lower Central America, suggesting this migration pattern as a mechanism that introduced genetically improved maize races from South America. Gradually, maize productivity increased to the point that it was suitable for use as a staple crop. Here we present a summary of paleoecological data that support the late and uneven entry of maize into the Maya area relative to other regions of Central America and identify the Pacific coastal margin as the probable route by which maize spread southward into Panama and South America. We consider some implications of the early appearance of maize for Late Archaic populations in these areas; for example, with respect to the establishment of sedentary village life.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Maize in the Maya Area

Lohse

Morgan

Jones³

et al. 2022

Latin Am. antiq.

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“…Although the Guatemalan highlands and Pacific coast are lacking in Paleoindian/Archaic deposits (Lohse et al 2021), plentiful remains have been documented in the Soconusco (Clark and Hodgson 2021;Lesure et al 2021;Voorhies and Kennett 2021) and Chiapas, such as Santa Marta Rockshelter, Los Grifos, and La Encañada Cave (Acosta Ochoa et al 2019). In Honduras, El Gigante cave has well-defined early Archaic deposits (Scheffler et al 2012).…”

Section: Theme 1: Paleoindian and Archaicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithics in the Maya Region: Exploring Gendered Trends in Research in the Last Decade

Horowitz,

Brouwer Burg

2024

Latin Am. antiq.

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Even though lithics in the Maya region have traditionally been relegated to appendices and tool-type lists, much has been done to move beyond this descriptive approach in the last decade. In this article we highlight general themes of lithic studies in the Maya region since 2011, including economic production and exchange, the role of lithics in ritual practice, and the use of previously understudied raw materials and lithic forms, such as ground stone. Employing a temporal scope that encompasses the Maya and their preceramic predecessors, we explore gendered patterns of research within lithic studies from a feminist perspective and discuss the impacts that gender disparities have on academic thought.

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South American Maize and Political Economy of the Middle and Late Formative Soconusco Region of Guatemala

et al. 2023

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We present macrobotanical, starch, and phytolith data from artifacts and sediments from Middle Formative La Blanca (1000–600 cal BC) and Late Formative El Ujuxte (600 cal BC–cal AD 115 ) in the Soconusco region in Guatemala. Potential economic plants identified included palm (cf. Arecaceae), two varieties of maize (Zea mays), guava (Psidium guajava), bean (Phaseolus), chili peppers (Capsicum), squash (Cucurbitaceae), custard apple (Annonaceae), coco plum (Chrysobalanaceae), lerén (Calathea), arrowroot (Maranta), and bird-of-paradise (Heliconia). The results suggest that control of food production and consumption was critical for the transition from complex chiefdoms during the Middle Formative to the archaic state in the Late Formative. The arrival of a more productive South American variety of maize at El Ujuxte (about 2549 BP) allowed elites to exploit an already existing broad-based economic system and to use the maize-based religious system to increase control over maize agricultural practices and maintain power through ideology and disciplinary power. These data suggest that the arrival of fully domesticated South American maize likely influenced the overall development of Mesoamerican state-level societies.

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The End of the Archaic in the Soconusco Region of Mesoamerica

Cited by 8 publications

References 1 publication

Early Maize in the Maya Area

Early Maize in the Maya Area

Lithics in the Maya Region: Exploring Gendered Trends in Research in the Last Decade

South American Maize and Political Economy of the Middle and Late Formative Soconusco Region of Guatemala

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