The Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, D.C. (PCSWDC), is an educational organization dedicated to furthering knowledge and understanding of the peoples of the Americas before the time of Columbus. Founded in 1993, the Society provides a forum for the exchange of information regarding these pre-Columbian cultures between academic professionals and interested members of the public.
Tikal, a major city of the ancient Maya world, has been the focus of archaeological research for over a century, yet the interactions between the Maya and the surrounding Neotropical forests remain largely enigmatic. This study aimed to help fill that void by using a powerful new technology, environmental DNA analysis, that enabled us to characterize the site core vegetation growing in association with the artificial reservoirs that provided the city water supply. Because the area has no permanent water sources, such as lakes or rivers, these reservoirs were key to the survival of the city, especially during the population expansion of the Classic period (250-850 CE). Our samples encompassed the time before, during and after the occupation of Tikal (1000 BCE-900 CE). Results indicate that the banks of the ancient reservoirs were primarily fringed with native tropical forest vegetation rather than domesticated species during the Maya occupation.
David Lentz is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. He is a paleoecologist and archaeobotanist who specializes in the study of Mesoamerican cultures. He has published three books and more than 120 research articles and book chapters. Recently (2021), he was a Fellow in residence at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Museum in Washington, D.C.
The April 1 meeting of the Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, D.C. will be held virtually using the Zoom platform. This meeting is free and open to the public but you must be pre-registered to attend. Check here to pre-register.
