Harvest and Water Management Strategies among the Classic Maya in the northern Petén of Campeche

In recent years there has been a lag and consequent reduction of the rainy season in Campeche that, at the regional level, has resulted in the drying-out of washes and shallow ponds located in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, substantially impacting populations of the reserve's native wildlife. Consequently, in order to study this phenomenon, thorough studies have been carried out, which have provided valuable information that will assist in the implementation of management plans aimed at solving this problem. Nevertheless, despite the important contribution of these studies, they have emphasized the negative consequences that human agency has had in the deterioration of the natural environment, without considering that a thorough knowledge of the landscape and the rational management of water resources not only allowed for survival but also the flowering of a complex civilization in the same territory that now faces this serious problem of water scarcity.

Archaeological evidence indicates that the population density in these parts of the Maya lowlands reached a figure of about 200 inhabitants per km², which contrasts dramatically with the current 1.48 inhabitants per km². These facts thus beg the question "what strategies did the ancient Maya apply to ensure water supply for domestic and agricultural use in an environment where the absence of surface water and deep underground reserves prevailed?" The obvious answer makes one think that the ancient Maya had to develop techniques that enabled them to efficiently harvest and store this vital liquid.

Apparently, after the depopulation of the region caused by the collapse of the Maya political system, the hydraulic infrastructure was no longer maintained and thus over time it ceased to function, due to its abandonment. With this in mind, a detailed study of pre-Hispanic efforts at water control and harvesting has been initiated, in order to gain a better understanding of the techniques developed to allow for the presence of a dense population for more than 1200 years and consequently contribute to solving a current problem.

Dr. Anaya obtained his doctorate in archaeology from the University of Calgary, Canada, in 1999. Since 1993 he has been active in archaeological research in the Maya lowlands (Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche) as Co-director of the Yaxnohcah Archaeological Project at a site located in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, where he is in charge of paleoenvironmental and hydric resource management studies. Currently, he is a full-time Professor/Researcher at the Center for Historical and Social Research at the Universidad Autónoma de Campeche.

Dr. Ezgi Akpinar Ferrand is an assistant professor of Geography at Southern Connecticut State University. She is a physical geographer with research interests in climate change, food and water security.  Her graduate training involved studying the civilizations and environments of the eastern Mediterranean and the Yucatan Peninsula.  She is interested in sustainable development initiatives in developing countries with arid, semi-arid and dry-wet climatic regimes.

Dr. Faust has a doctorate in anthropology from Syracuse University (New York State) and is author of El desarrollo rural mexicano y la serpiente emplumada. Her research centers on change and continuity in indigenous environmental knowledge and sustainable management among the Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula. Currently, she is an Honorary Researcher in the Natural Resources Department of the Yucatán Center for Scientific Research.