Maya Settlement Patterns and Land Use in Buena Vista, Cozumel, México

Project Goals

This study focused on the nature of the Buena Vista settlement pattern to identify land uses and agrarian production and organization in the site. The basic theoretical model guiding this research is that of "Settlement Ecology" which is designed to study agrarian settlements investigating the relationship between population and agricultural practices in that ecological setting (Stone 1996, Killion 1992). Our first aim in this study was to determinate how the wall system extent around the site center and how these walls are enclosing land plots and other archaeological features. As a second aim, we sought to register microenvironmental differences in the Buena Vista region. Our third aim was to obtain information on soil potential for agricultural production in the survey area. Our site map and intensive surface survey provided information to meet the first and second goals. Soil profile sampling in selected areas of the site helped us to partially meet the third aim.

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