Ancient Mesoamerican Population History
Urbanism, Social Complexity, and Change

Adrian S.Z. Chase (Edited by), Arlen F. Chase (Edited by), Diane Z. Chase (Edited by)

9780816553181

Hardback, published 7 May 2024

432 pages, 70 b&w illustrations, 10 color illustrations,
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.966 kg

“Chase et al. have brought together archaeologists working in the arid highlands and the rainforest lowland of Mesoamerica, where the landscape has traditionally meant radically different field methods were used for survey. The papers include insightful discussions of how population estimates are made from surface scatters of artifacts in highland Mesoamerica (and some areas of the northern YucatÁn) and from transect survey and test excavations in the lowlands. The papers will challenge current and future researchers to refine chronologies by including radiocarbon dating, to refine interpretations of mounds in population estimates, and to reevaluate sampling strategies now that LiDAR allows complete coverage of sites and regions. The detailed descriptions of settlement pattern research underscore the varied approaches to common problems of identifying housemounds, houses, family size, and ultimately demographic changes over time.”—Heather McKillop, author of Maya Salt Works

Establishing ancient population numbers and determining how they were distributed across a landscape over time constitute two of the most pressing problems in archaeology. Accurate population data is crucial for modeling, interpreting, and understanding the past. Now, advances in both archaeology and technology have changed the way that such approximations can be achieved.

Including research from both highland central Mexico and the tropical lowlands of the Maya and Olmec areas, this book reexamines the demography in ancient Mesoamerica. Contributors present methods for determining population estimates, field methods for settlement pattern studies to obtain demographic data, and new technologies such as LiDAR (light detecting and ranging) that have expanded views of the ground in forested areas. Contributions to this book provide a view of ancient landscape use and modification that was not possible in the twentieth century. This important new work provides new understandings of Mesoamerican urbanism, development, and changes over time.

Contributors
Traci Ardren
Luke Auld-Thomas
M. Charlotte Arnauld
Barbara Arroyo
Marcello Canuto
Adrian S. Z. Chase
Arlen F. Chase
Diane Z. Chase
Elyse D. Z. Chase
Javier Estrada
Gary M. Feinman
L. J. Gorenflo
Julien Hiquet
Scott R. Hutson
Gerardo Jimenez Delgado
Eva Lemonnier
Rodrigo Liendo
JosÉ Lobo
Javier Lopez Mejia
Michael L. Loughlin
Deborah Nichols
Christopher A. Pool
Ian G. Robertson
Jeremy A. Sabloff
Travis W. Stanton