The Anthropology Colloquium Series continues with Dr. Anabel Ford, "The Cultivated Landscape of the Maya Forest: Exploring Solutions Past." Her lecture will take place at 5:30 in 430G Oldfather.
Abstract: The cultivable landscape of the ancient Maya flourished in the shallow friable soils of the limestone uplands, avoiding soils that the conventional Western agricultural systems deem arable not recognizing the
cultivable lands that do not use plows. The Maya cultivated nature, embedding it in the cultural landscape as a cycle of varied forest habitats and productive fields that sustained everyday life. This tradition was unfamiliar to the Western eye and was literally overlooked. This presentation will show the links of contemporary Master Maya forest gardeners to the ancient Maya settlement patterns.