Urban Agriculture within the Valley of Oaxaca: Investigations and Implications of Agricultural Terracing at Monte Alban, Oaxaca

The implementation of geographic information systems for the analysis of Late Classic (500-800 C.E.) terraces at Monte Albán, reveals a spatial pattern not visible through prior pedestrian site surveys. The Valley of Oaxaca Settlement Pattern Project concluded that nearly all of the 1,464 Late Classic terraces at Monte Albán were used for residential purposes. Spatial analysis tools reveal a greater human-ecological complexity. The goal of this study was to use ArcGIS to map the 1,273 terraces near Monte Albán's ceremonial center and combine them with individually identifiable data sets. Analysis of each terrace, particularly based upon water availability, ceramic distribution, structural remains, and number of metates, reveals that 55.7% of these 1,273 terraces could have supported agricultural practices. The integration of agricultural space into a dense urban center reveals new spatial relationships between population density and urban agricultural practices, to which measures of resiliency and efficacy within similar modern systems can be applied.

Author dc:creator

• Tricarico, Anthony

Contributors dc:contributor

• Barber, Sarah

• Agricultural terracing
• mesoamerica
• oaxaxa
• valley of oaxaca
• monte alban
• valley of oaxaca settlement pattern project
• Anthropology

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

CFE0005728

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-2313