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Research Year:  2002
Culture:  Maya
Chronology:  Pre-Classic and Classic
Location:  Copán, Honduras
Sites:  El Paraíso, Petapilla, and Las Sierras

Table of Contents

Abstract
Resumen
Goals of Paleobotanical Research in Copán
Sediment Core Extraction
Methodology
Extraction of sediment cores from lagunas
Analysis of fossil pollen samples
Preliminary Results
La Laguna de Petapilla
Tierra Blanca Joven
Pond in the village of Las Sierras
Pond near La Laguna outside of El Paraíso
Conclusions
Acknowledgments
List of Figures
Sources Cited

Abstract

A grant from the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc., (FAMSI), was used to fund Accelerator Mass Spectrometry dating of sediment cores recovered from three bodies of water in the Copán Valley and the adjoining area of El Paraíso, and for comparative analysis of a tephra layer recovered from one of the sediment cores. Sediment cores from two of these bodies of water, Petapilla and Las Sierras, contain pollen records covering the Preclassic and Classic periods. Sediment from the base of a third core extracted from a laguna near El Paraíso had a modern date.

Resumen

Los fondos de FAMSI fueron utilizados para fechar mediante la espectrometría por aceleración de masas, (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, AMS) las columnas de sedimento obtenidas de tres superficies de agua en la red de drenaje de Copán, y para el análisis comparativo de una capa de tefra obtenida de una de las columnas de sedimento. Las columnas de sedimento obtenidas de las dos superficies de agua, Petapilla y Las Sierras, contienen registros de polen que abarcan los períodos Preclásico y Clásicos. Los sedimentos provenientes de la base de una tercera columna extraída de una laguna cerca de El Paraíso dieron como resultado una fecha moderna.

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Submitted 10/15/2003 by: