Gardens of Prehistory : The Archaeology of Settlement Agriculture in Greater Mesoamerica

The prehistoric agricultural systems of the New World provided the foundations for a diverse set of complex social developments ranging from the puebloan societies of the American Southwest to the archaic state polities of Mesoamerica and the Andean region. From the tropical forests of Central America to the arid environments or northern New Mexico, Native American farmers made use of a distinctive set of cultigens and cropping systems that supported—with varying degrees of success—growing populations and expanding economies. Lacking most domesticated animals, so important to the mixed agricultural systems of the Old World, Precolumbian farmers developed intensive and resilient systems of agricultural production. These systems supported large societies of people who altered the landscapes they inhabited and generated a unique archaeological record of the evolution of farming in the New World. The Archaeology Of Settlement Agriculture / Thomas W. Killion -- Factors Affecting Settlement Agriculture In The Ethnographic And Historic Record Of Mesoamerica / William T. Sanders And Thomas W. Killion -- Settlement And Agriculture In The Arid Lands Of Greater Mesoamerica. The Southwestern Ethnographic Record And Prehistoric Agricultural Diversity / Timothy D. Maxwell And Kurt F. Anschuetz -- House-lot Gardens In The Gran Chichimeca : Ethnographic Cause For Archaeological Concern / William E. Doolittle -- The Productivity Of Maguey Terrace Agriculture In Central Mexico During The Aztec Period / Susan T. Evans -- Artifact Distributions And The Organization Of Prehistoric Agriculture : Evidence From Lowland Mesoamerica. Residential Ethnoarchaeology And Ancient Site Structure : Contemporary Farming And Prehistoric Settlement Agriculture At Matacapan, Veracruz, Mexico / Thomas W. Killion. (cont.) A Consideration Of The Olmec Phenomenon In The Tuxtlas : Early Formative Settlement Pattern, Land Use, And Refuse Disposal At Matacapan, Veracruz, Mexico / Robert S. Santley -- Agricultural Tasks And Tools : Patterns Of Stone Tool Discard Near Prehistoric Maya Residences Bordering Pulltrouser Swamp, Belize / Patricia A. Mcanany -- Prehistoric Cultivation, Landscape Modification, And Chemical Characterization. Intensive Raised-field Agriculture In A Posteruption Environment, El Salvador / Christian J. Zier -- Prehistoric Intrasettlement Land Use And Residual Soil Phosphate Levels In The Upper Belize Valley, Central America / Joseph W. Ball & Richalene G. Kelsay. Edited By Thomas W. Killion. Edited Papers From A Symposium Held During The 52nd Annual Meeting Of The Society For American Archaeology, May 9, 1987, In Toronto. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 285-323) And Index. The prehistoric agricultural systems of the New World provided the foundations for a range of complex social developments. This book examines the archaeology of settlement agriculture in greater Mesoamerica.