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Maya Diets of the Rich and Poor: Paleoethnobotanical Evidence from Copan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

David L. Lentz
David L. Lentz*
Affiliation:
Electron Microscopy Laboratory, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216
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Abstract

Analysis of plant remains recovered from excavations at Copán in western Honduras has provided substantive data regarding agroeconomic systems of the prehistoric inhabitants. The time span of the deposits ranges from the Gordon/Uir phase (900-400 B. C.), which may have been non-Maya, to the Coner phase (A. D. 700-900+), which encompasses the collapse of the Classic Maya cultural manifestation in the valley. Several traditionally recognized mesoamerican cultigens were identified including corn, beans, and several species of Cucurbitaceae. In addition, remains of a number of economic tree species were discovered, suggesting a reliance on arboriculture as part of the subsistence strategy. Pine charcoal predominated in all deposits and may have been the preferred wood for fuel and construction. Analysis of edible-plant-species distributions from low- and high-status Late Classic dwellings using the Shannon-Weaver index revealed that elite individuals had a higher diversity of available foods, a situation that may have led to nutritional stress among lower-status individuals and, ultimately, social unrest.

En las excavaciones del sitio de Copán, en el occidente de Honduras, se encontraron muchos restos de plantas. El análisis de los mismos ha proporcionado una cantidad de datos muy grande sobre los sistemas agroeconómicos de sus habitantes prehistóricos. El lapso de los depósitos oscila entre las fases Gordon/Uir (900-400 A. C.), las cuales pueden corresponder a grupos no-mayas, hasta la fase Coner (700-900+ D. C.) la cual abarca el colapso de la manifestación cultural maya Clásica en el valle. Se identificaron varios cultivos tradicionales mesoamericanos incluyendo maíz, frijol, y varias especies de Cucurbitaceae. Además se descubrieron restos de varias especies económicos de árboles, indicando una dependencia en la arboricultura como parte de la estrategia de subsistencia. Restos de carbón de pino fueron predominantes en todos los depósitos y es posible que el mismo haya sido la madera preferida para combustible y construcción. Se utilizó el indice de Shannon-Weaver para determinar la distribución de especias de plantas comestibles en casas de estratos bajos y altos del Clásico Tardío. El resultado reveló que los individuos de la élite dispusieron de una mayor diversidad de comida. Esta situación pudo haber conducido a una presión nutricional entre los individuos de estratos inferiores provocando, en último caso, desorden social.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , September 1991 , pp. 269 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1991

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