The use of land and water resources in the past and present, Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico

In the first volume of a series on Prehistory and Human Ecology of the Valley of Oaxaca, Anne V. T. Kirkby investigated the agricultural production in the valley. With land-use data gathered at the time of her study (the 1960s), she created population and distribution models to help archaeologists interpret prehistoric settlement patterns in the region. Contents Figures Tables Plates Acknowledgments I. Objectives and Research Design Introduction Definitions Methods II. Agricultural Resources in the Physical Environment Introduction Land Water Summary III. Social Organisation of Land, Labour and Production Introduction Land Labour Production IV. Water Use Techniques and Their Distribution Introduction Dry Farming Floodwater Farming Water-Table Farming Well Irrigation Canal Irrigation Distribution of Water Use V. Corn Production and Its Distribution Introduction Traditional Cultivation Methods Factors Affecting Planting Factors Affecting Yields Areal Variations in Corn Yield and Water Consumption VI. Subsistence Farming on Unirrigated Land Introduction Evidence of Fixed Goals in Corn Production Effect of Local Variability on the Achievement of Fixed Goals Socioeconomic Influences on Levels of Satisfaction in Corn Summary VII. Cash Farming on Irrigated Land Introduction Sample Land Use Areas Effect of the Physical Environment on Irrigated Land Use Effect of the Cultural Environment Pre-Conquest Irrigation in the Valley VIII. Prehistoric Agriculture and Population Introduction Land Use Model of Prehistoric Agriculture and Settlement Stages of Development Comparison of Prehistoric PopUlation and Settlement Data from the Land Use Model and Archaeological Evidence IX. Conclusion: The Effect of Culture on Agricultural Resource Use Appendixes I. Perception of Annual Rainfall II. Present Distribution of Crops Around the Valley III. Lambityeco Land Use Area Resumen en Español References