Maya Region Explained

Maya Region
Type:Historical region
Photo Alt:Map showing the Maya Region of Mesoamerica, with major rivers, mountain ranges, and regions labelled, published 2015 by Simon Burchell.
Map:Mesoamerica
Relief:1
Label:Maya Region
Label Position:top
Location:Belize, Guatemala, western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, southeastern Mexico
Coordinates:17°N -90°W
Part Of:Mesoamerica
Elevation M:-->
Surface Elevation M:-->
Highest Point:Tajumulco Volcano
Highest Elevation:13845feetc
Highest Coords:15.0431°N -91.9044°W
Length:540milesb
Width:410milesb
Area:125000mi2a
Free Label 1:Subdivisions
Embedded:a cf
b cf
c cf

The Maya Region is cultural, first order subdivision of Mesoamerica, located in the eastern half of the latter. Though first settled by Palaeoindians by at least 10,000 BC, it is now most commonly characterised and recognised as the territory which encompassed the Maya civilisation in the pre-Columbian era.

Extent

The Maya Region is firmly bounded to the north, east, and southwest by the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean, respectively. It is less firmly bounded to the west and southeast by 'zones of cultural interaction and transition between Maya and non-Maya peoples.' The western transition between Maya and non-Maya peoples roughly corresponds to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, while the southeastern one roughly corresponds to a line running northwards from the mouth of the Lempa River to that of the Ulua River.

Divisions

The Maya Region is traditionally divided into three cultural and geographic, first order subdivisions, namely, the Maya Lowlands, Maya Highlands, and the Maya Pacific. The Region's internal borders, like some of its external ones, are not usually precisely fixed, as they are rather demarcated by 'subtle environmental changes or transitions from one zone to another.' Additionally, the Lowlands, Highlands, and Pacific are often further subdivided along similarly imprecise lines, giving rise to a myriad roughly-demarcated second order subdivisions for the Maya Region.

Lowlands

See main article: article and Maya Lowlands. The Maya Lowlands are a low-lying karstic plain stretching from Campeche in Mexico through northern Guatemala and into northwestern Honduras, thereby encompassing all of the Yucatan Peninsula and its abutting plains (including all of Belize). The plain generally lies below . Mean annual temperatures and rainfall range within 77- and 20-, respectively. Wet seasons range from six to eleven months (usually starting in May or June), with dry seasons ranging from one to six months.

Highlands

See main article: article and Maya Highlands. The Maya Highlands are a geologically-active east-west band of peaks and valleys stretching from Tabasco in Mexico through central Guatemala and into northwestern Honduras, and generally topping . Mean annual temperatures and rainfall range within 59- and 80-, respectively. Wet seasons typically last eight months (MayDecember), with dry seasons typically compressed to four (JanuaryApril).

Pacific

The Maya Pacific, also known as the Pacific Coastal Plain, is a fertile volcanic-sedimentary plain stretching along the Pacific coast from Chiapas in Mexico through southern Guatemala and into western El Salvador. Mean annual temperatures and rainfall range within 77- and 80-, respectively. Wet seasons typically last eight months (MayDecember), with dry seasons typically compressed to four (JanuaryApril).

Geography

Physical

The Maya Region is 'one of the most varied environments on earth.' Its terrain ranges from vast sea-level plains to near-inaccessible peaks topping 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Its soils range from rich alluvial and volcanic types to poor karstic ones, resulting in vegetation ranging from lush to sparse. Mean annual temperatures and rainfall range within 59- and 20160 inches (5004,000 mm), respectively. Wet seasons range from six to eleven months, with dry seasons ranging from one to six months. Surface freshwater is readily available year-round in some areas, and virtually absent in others. Nonetheless, broadly speaking, the Region is described as featuring two geographic zones, namely, lowlands and highlands, with the former lying below circa 1000feet-2625feetft (-ft), and the latter above. Naturally, lowlands are predominantly found within the Maya Lowlands and Pacific, with highlands generally restricted to the Maya Highlands.

Climate

The Maya Region is generally described as having two climes, a cool, temperate one (prevalent in highlands), and a hot, tropical one (prevalent in lowlands). Each of these experiences two seasons, a wet one, and a dry one. Rainfall in the wet season is usually heaviest during June and October, and is thereby described as 'following a double-peaked distribution.'

Scholars had 'usually assumed that the climatic conditions which now [2010s] prevail in the Maya [Region] have always been the same, all through Maya prehistory and history[; b]ut recent palaeoclimatic research has challenged this assumption, revealing far more climatic fluctuation that previously anticipated.'

Geology

History

Pre-Cenozoic

Middle America, including the Maya Region, is thought to have taken shape sometime after 170 million years ago. Its formation is thought to have 'involved [the] complex movement of [various] crustal blocks and terrains between the two pre-existing continental masses [ie North and South America].' Details of the pre-Cenozoic portion of this process (ie 17067 million years ago), however, are not widely agreed upon. Nonetheless, it has been proposed that the northern Lowlands were subaerially exposed by some 150 million years ago.

Cenozoic

Details of the Cenozoic (ie 660 million years ago) geologic history of Middle America, including the Maya Region, are relatively more widely agreed upon. In broad strokes, the Maya Highlands and Pacific are thought to have been subaerially exposed by some 40 million years ago, with these being initially separated from the northern Lowlands by the incipient Bay of Honduras. The Bay is thought to have closed by at least 20 million years ago, thereby finally linking the northern and southern portions of the Maya Region together.

Timeline

Prominent geologic events in or relevant to the Maya Region.
StartEndclass=unsortableUnitEpochclass=unsortableEventclass=unsortableNotes
165165MaMiddle JurassicGulf of Mexico seafloor spreading startsinc. exposed northern Lowlands; cf
144144MaEarly CretaceousCaribbean Sea seafloor spreading startscf
120120MaEarly CretaceousChortis Block subduction into southwestern Mexico stopscf
6565MaChicxulub impactcf
4949MaEoceneCayman Trough rifting startscf
2620MaOligoceneMioceneCayman Trough rifting slows downcf
2322MaMioceneFarallon Plate rifting startscf
2222MaMioceneCocos Plate subduction into Chortis Block startsinc. end of eastwards migration of Chortis Block; inc. possible uplift of Chortis Block; inc. formation of Bay of Honduras ie initial linking of northern and southern portions of the Maya Region; cf

Morphology

Provinces

The Maya Region is thought to fully or partially encompass at least fourteen geologic provinces.

Geologic provinces within the Maya Region per 21st century literature.
USGS No.class=unsortableNameclass=unsortableLocationclass=unsortableNotes
5308Yucatan Platformnorthern Lowlands–
6117Greater Antilles Deformed Beltoffshore Lowlands–
6120Cayman Troughsouthern Lowlands–
6125Maya Mountainscentral Lowlands–
5305Villahermosa Upliftwestern Lowlands–
5306Macuspana Basinwestern Lowlands–
5304SalineComalcalco Basinwestern Lowlands–
5302Veracruz Basinwestern Lowlands–
5303Tuxla Upliftwestern Lowlands–
5311Chiapas Massifwestern Lowlands–
5310Sierra Madre de ChiapasPeten Foldbeltsouthern Lowlands, northern Highlands–
6088Pacific Offshore BasinPacific–
6122Chiapas MassifNuclear Central AmericaHighlands–
6087Choco Pacific BasinHighlands–

Basins

The Maya Region is believed to fully or partially comprehend at least five sedimentary basins.

Sedimentary basins within the Maya Region per 21st century literature.
Evenick IDclass=unsortableNameclass=unsortableLocationclass=unsortableNotes
119Campechenorthern Lowlands–
519PetenCorozalcentral Lowlands–
757Yucatannorthern Lowlands–
647Surestewestern Lowlands–
–LimonBocas del ToroPacific, southern Highlands–

Tectonics

The majority of the Maya Region sits on the Maya Block of the North American Plate, though its southernmost extremes extend beyond this crustal fragment into the neighbouring Chortis Block of the Caribbean Plate. The Region notably houses the active MotaguaPolochic Fault Zone in the south, part of the Central American Volcanic Front in the southwest, and further borders the Eastern Mexican Transform to the west.

Stratigraphy

The Maya Region's pre-Mesozoic crystalline basement is only exposed in the Mixtequita or Guichicovi Complex, the Chiapas Massif, the Altos Cuchumatanes, the Maya Mountains, and along the Chicxulub impact crater. It is elsewhere blanketed by extensive Mesozoic sedimentary cover.

Notes and references

Full citations

Print

  1. Book: Adams. Richard E. W.. Macleod. Murdo J.. Mesoamerica, Part 1. The Cambridge history of the native peoples of the Americas. 2. 2000a. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. subscription. 10.1017/CHOL9780521351652. 9781139053778. 163512332.
  2. Book: Adams. Richard E. W.. Macleod. Murdo J.. Mesoamerica, Part 2. The Cambridge history of the native peoples of the Americas. 2. 2000b. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. subscription. 10.1017/CHOL9780521652049. 9781139053464.
  3. Book: Braswell. Geoffrey E.. 3,000 Years of War and Peace in the Maya Lowlands: Identity, Politics, and Violence. Routledge archaeology of the ancient Americas. 2022. Routledge. London. subscription. 10.4324/9781351268004. 9781351268004. 246542762.
  4. Book: Bundschuh. Jochen. Alvarado. Guillermo E.. 2012. 2007. Reprint of 1st. Central America: Geology, Resources and Hazards. Taylor & Francis. London. 9780429074370. 10.1201/9780203947043. 905983675.
  5. Book: Carrasco. Davíd. 2006. 2001. Online reprint of 1st print. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilisations of Mexico and Central America. Oxford University Press. Oxford. subscription. 9780195188431. 10.1093/acref/9780195108156.001.0001.
  6. Book: Coe. Michael D.. Houston. Stephen D.. The Maya. 2015. 1966. 9th. Thames & Hudson. New York. 915597000.
  7. Book: Demarest. Arthur A.. Ancient Maya: The rise and fall of a rainforest civilization. Case Studies in Early Societies. 2007. 2004. Reprint of 1st . Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. OL3440009M. 717693582.
  8. Book: Ford. Anabel. Nigh. Ronald. The Maya forest garden: eight millennia of sustainable cultivation of the tropical woodlands. New frontiers in historical ecology. 6. 2015. Left Coast Press. Walnut Creek, CA. 894750131. 9781611329971.
  9. Book: Gómez-Pompa. Arturo. Allen. Michael F.. Fedick. Scott L.. Jiménez-Osornio. Juan J.. The Lowland Maya Area: Three Millennia at the Human-Wildland Interface. 2003. Food Products Press. Binghamton, NY. 50725221. 1560229705.
  10. Book: Houk. Brett A.. Approaches to Monumental Landscapes of the Ancient Maya: A Legacy of Human Occupation. 2019. University Press of Florida. Gainesville, FL. subscription. 1137019195. 9780813057347.
  11. Book: Hutson. Scott R.. Ardren. Traci. The Maya World. Routledge worlds. 2020. Routledge. London. 10.4324/9781351029582. 9781351029582.
  1. Book: Nichols. Deborah L.. Pool. Christopher A.. The Oxford Handbook of Mesoamerican Archaeology. Oxford Handbooks. 2012. 1st. Oxford University Press. Oxford. subscription. 1109248998. 978-0-19-539093-3.
  2. Book: Sharer. Robert J.. Traxler. Loa P.. The Ancient Maya. 2006. 1946. 6th. Stanford University Press. Stanford, Calif.. 57577446. 2027/mdp.39015062626216. 9780804748179.

Journals

  1. Bhattacharya. Tripti. Krause. Samantha. Penny. Dan. Wahl. David. 27 September 2022. Progress report: Drought and water management in ancient Maya society. Progress in Physical Geography. 1–16. 10.1177/03091333221129784. 252583845.
  2. Coe. William R.. January 1955. Early Man in the Maya Area. American Antiquity. 20. 3. 271–273. 10.2307/277005. 277005. subscription.
  3. Creamer. Winifred. 1987. Mesoamerica as a Concept: An Archaeological View from Central America. Latin American Research Review. 22. 1. 35–62. 10.1017/S0023879100016423. 2503542. 131671104. free.
  4. Evenick. J. C.. 2021. Glimpses into Earth's history using a revised global sedimentary basin map. Earth-Science Reviews. 215. sn. article no. 103564. 103564. 10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103564. 2021ESRv..21503564E. 233950439. free.
  5. Franco-Gaviria. Felipe. Caballero-Rodríguez. Dayenari. Correa-Metrio. Alexander. Pérez. Liseth. Schwalb. Antje. Cohuo. Sergio. Macario-González. Laura. April 2018. The human impact imprint on modern pollen spectra of the Maya lands. Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana. 70. 1. 61–78. 10.18268/bsgm2018v70n1a4 . free.
  6. Glover. Jeffrey B.. Rissolo. Dominique. Beddows. Patricia A.. Jaijel. Roy. Smith. Derek. Goodman-Tchernov. Beverly. 9 June 2022. The Proyecto Costa Escondida: Historical ecology and the study of past coastal landscapes in the Maya area. The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology. 1–20. 10.1080/15564894.2022.2061652. subscription.
  7. Gunn. Joel D.. Matheny. Ray T.. Folan. William J.. 14 August 2002. Climate-change Studies in the Maya Area: A diachronic analysis. Ancient Mesoamerica. 13. 1. 79–84. 10.1017/S0956536102131105. 29468376. subscription.
  8. Hartlett. Harley Harris. January 1932. A Biological Survey of the Maya Area. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 59. 1. 7–20. 10.2307/2480459. 2480459. subscription.
  9. Hodell. David A.. Quinn. Rhonda L.. Brenner. Mark. Kamenov. George. May 2004. Spatial variation of strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in the Maya region: a tool for tracking ancient human migration. Journal of Archaeological Science. 31. 5. 585–601. 10.1016/j.jas.2003.10.009. 2004JArSc..31..585H. subscription.
  1. Kennett. Douglas J.. Lipson. Mark. Prufer. Keith M.. Mora-Marín. David. George. Richard J.. Rohland. Nadin Rohland. Robinson. Mark. Trask. Willa R.. Edgar. Heather H. J.. Hill. Ethan C.. Ray. Erin E.. Lynch. Paige. Moes. Emily. O'Donnell. Lexi. Harper. Thomas K.. Kate. Emily J.. Ramos. Josue. Morris. John. Gutierrez. Said M.. Ryan. Timothy M.. Culleton. Brendan J.. Awe. Jaime J.. Reich. David. 22 March 2022. South-to-north migration preceded the advent of intensive farming in the Maya region. Nature Communications. 13. 1. 1–10 of article no. 1530. 10.1038/s41467-022-29158-y. 35318319. 8940966. 2022NatCo..13.1530K. 247617021. free.
  2. Kuil. Linda. Carr. Gemma. Prskawetz. Alexia . Alexia Fürnkranz-Prskawetz. Salinas. José Luis. Viglione. Alberto. Blöschl. Günter. March 2019. Learning from the Ancient Maya: Exploring the Impact of Drought on Population Dynamics. Ecological Economics. 157. 1–16. 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.10.018. 53700665. subscription. free. 2019EcoEc.157....1K.
  3. Lohse. Jon C.. Morgan. Molly. Jones. John G.. Brenner. Mark. Curtis. Jason. Hamilton. W. Derek. Cardona. Karla. 10 August 2022. Early Maize in the Maya Area. Latin American Antiquity. 33. 4. 1–16 of FirstView articles. 10.1017/laq.2022.55. 251506698. subscription.
  4. Nooren. Kees. Hoek. Wim Z.. Dermody. Brian J.. Galop. Didier. Metcalfe. Sarah. Islebe. Gerald. Middelkoop. Hans. 20 August 2018. Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilisation. Climate of the Past. 14. 8. 1253–1273. 10.5194/cp-14-1253-2018. 2018CliPa..14.1253N. 55370409. subscription. free.
  5. Ross. C. H.. Stockli. D. F.. Rasmussen. C.. Gulick. S. P. S.. Graaff. S. J.. Claeys. P.. Zhao. J.. 2021. Evidence of Carboniferous arc magmatism preserved in the Chicxulub impact structure. Geological Society of America Bulletin. 134. 1–2. 241–260. 10.1130/B35831.1. 238043996. subscription. 10044/1/99016. free.
  6. Sharpe. Ashley E.. Emery. Kitty F.. Inomata. Takeshi. Krigbaum. John. 19 March 2018. Earliest isotopic evidence in the Maya region for animal management and long-distance trade at the site of Ceibal, Guatemala. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 115. 14. 3605–3610. 10.1073/pnas.1713880115. 29555750. 5889628. 2018PNAS..115.3605S. free.
  7. Sharpe. Ashley E.. Kamenov. George D.. Gilli. Adrian. Hodell. David L.. Emery. Kitty F.. Brenner. Mark. Krigbaum. John. 2 November 2016. Lead (Pb) Isotope Baselines for Studies of Ancient Human Migration and Trade in the Maya Region. PLOS ONE. 11. 11. 1–28 of article no. e0164871. 10.1371/journal.pone.0164871. 27806065. 5091867. 2016PLoSO..1164871S. free.
  8. Scherer. Andrew K.. de Carteret. Alyce. Newman. Sarah. June 2015. Local water resource variability and oxygen isotopic reconstructions of mobility: A case study from the Maya area. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 2. 666–676. 10.1016/j.jasrep.2014.11.006. 2015JArSR...2..666S. subscription.
  9. Thornton. Ern Kennedy. Emery. Kitty F.. Steadman. David W.. Speller. Camilla. Matheny. Ray. Yang. Dongya. 8 August 2012. Earliest Mexican turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in the Maya region; implications for pre-Hispanic animal trade and the timing of turkey domestication. PLOS ONE. 7. 8. 1–8 of article no. e42630. 10.1371/journal.pone.0042630. 22905156. 3414452. 2012PLoSO...742630T. free.
  10. Wrobel. Gabriel D.. Hoggarth. Julie A.. Marshall. Aubree. 14 December 2021. Before the Maya: A Review of Paleoindian and Archaic Human Skeletons Found in the Maya Region. Ancient Mesoamerica. 32. 3. 475–485. 10.1017/S0956536121000250. 245125288. subscription. free.

Theses

  1. Duarte. Edward Fernando. 2022. PhD Thesis. Hydroclimate variability in Central America during the Holocene inferred from lacustrine sediments in Lake Izabal, eastern Guatemala. Missouri University of Science and Technology.
  2. Harvey. William James. March 2019. DPhil Thesis. The Central American Isthmus: ecological dynamics of the middle-late Holocene. University of Oxford.
  3. Martens. Uwe. 2009. Geologic evolution of the Maya Block (southern edge of the North American plate): An example of terrane transferral and crustal recycling. PhD Thesis. Stanford University. . subscription.

Other

  1. Ahmad. S. S.. Escalona. A.. June 2014. European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers. Conference Proceedings, 76th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2014, Jun 2014, Volume 2014. 1–3. 10.3997/2214-4609.20141659. free. 11250/224374. free.
  2. DTM. June 2013. Deep Time Maps North America Key Time Slices. 1:1,000,000. Colorado Plateau Geosystems. Sedona, AZ.
  3. French. C. D.. Schenk. C. J. . 2004. Map showing geology, oil and gas fields, and geologic provinces of the Caribbean Region. 1:2,500,000. 10.3133/ofr97470K. Open-File Report 97-470-K. U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, Virg.. free.
  4. French. C. D.. Schenk. C. J. . 2006. Map showing geology, oil and gas fields, and geologic provinces of the Gulf of Mexico region. 1:2,500,000. 10.3133/ofr97470L. Open-File Report 97-470-L. U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, Virg..
  5. Encyclopedia: Goldberg. Maren. 17 January 2008. Tajumulco Volcano. Britannica Academic. Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago, Ill.. subscription. Britannica ID place/Tajumulco-Volcano.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Maya Region".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.