Prehistoric agriculture and forest clearance in the sierra de los tuxtlas, veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

Analysis of the pollen and charcoal content of a 9.4 m sediment core from Lago Catemaco in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas of southern Veracruz, Mexico, has provided a record of prehistoric agriculture and forest clearance in the Olmec region. Problems with radiocarbon dating have precluded the establishment of a firm chronology, but the volcanic ash stratigraphy suggests that the core represents approximately the last three thousand years. Maize pollen was encountered in all but two of the samples analyzed, and is especially common in the middle section of the core. This section is also characterized by low arboreal pollen counts and high percentages of herbaceous taxa, particularly Ambrosia. We interpret this interval to represent a period of intensified agricultural activity during the Late Classic and Post‐classic. In the upper section of the core maize pollen counts are generally low, even in the near‐surface samples. The most striking feature of this section is a sharp increase in arboreal pollen percentages at ca. 2.5 m. We attribute this to forest regeneration following the post‐Conquest population decline.