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Marine Resources: A Viable Subsistence Alternative for the Prehistoric Lowland Maya 1
Author(s) -
LANGE FREDERICK W.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1971.73.3.02a00070
Subject(s) - subsistence agriculture , maya , prehistory , marine conservation , dominance (genetics) , archaeology , geography , ecology , agriculture , biology , biochemistry , gene
It is suggested that traditional views of maize as the cornerstone of prehistoric lowland Maya civilization may be erroneous. Previous research largely ignored Yucatan's peninsular geographical position and the wealth of marine resources available. Ecological, archaeological, and documentary evidence are examined for the subsistence and religious utilization of marine resources and compared to data for maize and other foods. Some possible ramifications of a marine‐oriented Maya society are briefly stated and a “Yucatecan Symbiotic Region,” with highly sophisticated exploitation of both marine and terrestial resources as a subsistence base, rather than single crop dominance, is proposed.