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Among the numerous archaeological remains that recent LiDAR flights revealed in Guatemala and Mexico, agrarian features are the most abundant. Archaeologists today are compelled to revise their paradigms in terms of methodology and assessment of environmental appropriation for agriculture. The Malpaís de Zacapu in west Mexico is one example. Besides the discovery of a substantial Epiclassic occupation near the well-documented Postclassic urban centers of the area, LiDAR imagery brought to light a deeply modified agrarian landscape and thereby dramatically changed our understanding of human settlement in this lava flows complex. Focusing on the northern part of the Malpaís, this study uses archaeogeographical and soil science methods to assess ancient farming systems and their evolution. We updated the archaeological and soil maps of the area, combining traditional field survey techniques and LiDAR-derived data interpretation. This allowed us to identify residential zones and a wide range of associated agrarian features adapted to the variety and agronomic challenges of volcanic soils. We further implemented a production-consumption model to reconstruct agricultural strategies from the Epiclassic to the Middle Postclassic period, from self-reliance to the necessity of supra-local agricultural inputs, possibly foreshadowing the Tarascan state tribute system.

Resumen En el siglo dieciséis, la conquista española se extendió rápidamente hacia lo que hoy se conoce como el occidente de México. A partir de 1522, el reino tarasco sucumbió frente a los españoles y con ello iniciaron su proyecto de colonización y expansión territorial. Desde las primeras décadas, los españoles moldearon las actividades cotidianas para asegurar el control sobre las poblaciones indígenas, incluyendo la evangelización y promoviendo la explotación económica de los nuevos territorios. Uno de los primeros pasos fue reorganizar el patrón de asentamiento de las poblaciones tarascas. En vísperas de la Conquista, los tarascos habitaban en pequeñas aldeas situadas en las cumbres y laderas de las montañas. Los españoles modificaron el patrón de asentamiento a través de dos medidas principales: en primer lugar, el desplazamiento de los antiguos asentamientos (pueblos viejos) a los valles o llanuras cercanas, con el fin de evitar que los sitios se convirtieran en fortalezas; en segundo lugar, los españoles reagruparon a la población en centros más grandes, conocidos como congregaciones. Más allá de la distribución espacial de los lugares, esta transformación afectó por completo la configuración del espacio y repercutió en la relación existente entre los pobladores y el paisaje y con ello en la geografía sagrada. A partir del ejemplo de la localización de dos pueblos en el norte del estado de Michoacán—el sitio prehispánico Mich. 68-El Caracol y el pueblo colonial Mich. 415-Las Iglesias, descubiertos gracias a la obtención de imágenes LiDAR del Proyecto Arqueológico Uacúsecha—discutiremos las características de la distribución espacial antes y después de la Conquista y sus implicaciones en la relación existente entre la sociedad, el paisaje y la cosmovisión de la población.

Resumen El período de aproximadamente tres siglos (600–900 d.C.), que corresponde al epiclásico, fue el escenario de una notable expansión de los asentamientos en la cuenca de Zacapu y sus alrededores. Si bien la zona parecía carecer de núcleos monumentales mayores equivalentes a los que se conocían en las regiones vecinas del Bajío o del sur de las tierras altas michoacanas, los trabajos recientes en la parte noroeste del Malpaís de Zacapu cambian esta concepción. Los datos proporcionados por medio del LiDAR y nuevos trabajos de campo revelaron complejos monumentales de dimensiones inéditas para la zona que estructuran una red de asentamientos menores distribuidos en un amplio territorio. Estos descubrimientos ofrecen nuevos datos sobre la arquitectura pública y doméstica de la época. La distribución de estos asentamientos y su relación con áreas dedicadas a la explotación de recursos agrícolas y mineros permiten vislumbrar un sistema más complejo e integrado, el cual pudo tener elementos comunes al de un altepetl. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar esta nueva información y reevaluar, a partir de ella, la organización territorial del período considerado.

International audience

In the Southern Maya Lowlands (SML), several scientific and technical obstacles hinder the knowledge of environmental and socio-environmental dynamics, that have occurred at the scale of the territories of the cities. This includes the research topic itself (nature-culture interface), the tropical forest (morphological studies and access to the field) and the morphological and sedimentary archives (taphonomy and discontinuity). The study of the socio-ecosystem of Naachtun (150-950 CE), a Maya city of the Classic period, is not exempt from these constraints. Recently, large-scale work in SML was conducted based on LiDAR analyses and fieldwork. They have profoundly renewed our knowledge of the complexity of landscape transformation and natural environments through the action of the ancient Maya (Canuto et al. 2018). They have provided new research perspectives which allow us to examine the following questions.How did natural resource availability (water, soil and biological resources) change in the territory of the city, with respect to climate change and social demand? How did the ancient Maya adapt their resource management strategies to these changes? How important were socio-environmental risks to the resilience and sustainability of the socio-ecosystem? In order to answer these questions, a new systemic, interdisciplinary and multiscalar research program has been implemented. It includes geoarchaeology (alluvial and agrarian), archaeogeography (LiDAR analysis, spatial analysis), palaeoecology and bioarchaeology [archaeobotany (study of phytoliths, anthrocology, pedoanthracology) zooarchaeology (vertebrate and conchyological fauna remains)], spatial archaeology (agglomeration processes, power relays), palaeodemography and geochronology (14C, OSL). Current and pre-anthropic reference frames (hydrological, pedological and ecological) have also been established.Our results reaveal the complexity of the Maya palimpsest territories produced during the ~ 1500 BCE - 1000 CE period (Preclassic and Classic periods). Hydrosedimentary flows have fluctuated in response to climate change and anthropogenic impacts, controlling the spatiotemporal dynamics of resources (water and soils). Lake levels and erosion have fluctuated according to pluricentennial-scale periods. All compartments of the hydrosystem and the sediment system were subject to transformations, to manage water and soils. A mosaic of agricultural and agroforestry strategies was developed throughout the micro-region (morphologies, practices, cropping systems, fuel economy). Intensive wetland systems and irrigated farming systems were established in poljes, sinkholes and valleys (raised fields and drained fields). In addition, in the hilly areas, agrarian systems based on terraced agriculture, rain-fed farming systems, slash-and-burn, arboriculture and horticulture systems were established. The Maya socio-ecosystem which emerged in this micro-region lasted for more than 2500 years. It experienced shits and continuities and its dynamics are framed around six main multi-secular periods. Its decline was part of the profound changes that took place in the territories of the SML cities between 750 and 1050 CE. The sustainability of this socio-ecosystem during the demographic peak of the Late and Terminal Classic (750-950 CE), before the abandonment of the epicenter of the city of Naachtun (~950 CE), is estimated and discussed in relation to the environmental carrying capacity, social demand, climate and its own resilience.

International audience

International audience; In the centre of the Mayan Lowlands, several scientific and technical obstacles hinder the understanding of long-term socio-environmental dynamics, at the scale of the territories of the cities. The study of the socio-ecosystem of Naachtun, a Maya city of the Classic period, is not exempt from these constraints. How did natural resources (water, soil and living resources) along with management strategies change, in the past in the territory of this city, with special respect to climate, social demands and relation with nature of the ancient Mayas? What were the associated socio-environmental risks and how did the resilience of the socio-ecosystem change? In order to answer these questions by removing these obstacles, new systemic, interdisciplinary and multiscalar, methodological research is being implemented (geoarchaeology, archaeogeography, palaeoecology, archaeobotany, archaeozoology and geochronology). Preliminary results reveal the complexity of the Mayan palimpsest territories produced during the ~ 1500 BCE-1000 CE period and inform the cross dynamics of hydrosystems, agrosystems and sociosystems.; Dans le cœur des Basses Terres mayas, plusieurs verrous scientifiques et techniques constituent des obstacles à la connaissance des dynamiques socio-environnementales, survenues aux échelles des territoires des cités sur la longue durée. L’étude du socio-écosystème de Naachtun, cité maya de la période Classique, n’échappe pas à ces contraintes. Quelles furent les évolutions des ressources (eau, sol et vivant) et de leurs gestions dans ce territoire, en regard du climat, de la demande sociale et du rapport à la nature des anciens Mayas? Quels furent les risques socio-environnementaux associés à ces évolutions ainsi que la résilience du socio-écosystème? Afin de répondre à ces questions en levant ces obstacles, de nouveaux développements méthodologiques systémiques, interdisciplinaires et multiscalaires sont mis en œuvre (géoarchéologie, archéogéographie, paléoécologie, archéobotanique, archéozoologie, archéologie et géochronologie). Les résultats préliminaires révèlent la complexité des territoires palimpsestes mayas produits durant l’épisode ~ 1500 av.-1000 apr. J.-C. et renseignent les dynamiques croisées des hydrosystèmes, des agrosystèmes et des socio-systèmes.

International audience; "Four monogenetic Holocene lava flows located within the Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field, Mexico, were sampled for paleomagnetic dating. These flows (namely, El Infiernillo, Malpaís Las Víboras, El Capaxtiro, and Malpaís Prieto) are within the heartland of the pre-Hispanic Tarascan civilization and were inhabited repeatedly since at least 100 BC, but no relation with the volcanic evolution has been proposed so far. The stratigraphically oldest lava flow, El Infiernillo, has a radiocarbon age of 3200 ± 30 yr BP (cal. 1525–1420 BC), and it was used to validate the method. Using full-vector paleomagnetic data from three sites as input for paleomagnetic dating applying the global paleosecular variation model SHA.DIF.14k, an age range of 1500–1370 BC was obtained. Two age ranges of 1340–1230 and 1030–940 BC were obtained for Malpaís Las Víboras. A younger age range of 200–80 BC was obtained for the Capaxtiro lava flow and, finally, the Malpaís Prieto lava flow erupted within the range of AD 830–960. The human occupation history of these flows started around 100 BC during the late Pre-Classic, probably shortly after the Capaxtiro eruption. Archeological records indicate an abandonment of the entire area around AD 900 (late to terminal Classic), which coincides with the paleomagnetic age of the Malpaís Prieto eruption. Interestingly, this area was heavily repopulated again only few hundred years later around AD 1250 and belongs to the core region in which the Tarascan civilization has its roots. The eruption recurrence interval of roughly 1000 years indicates that a new monogenetic eruption should be expected to occur again in the future and that this area deserves to be studied in greater detail with particular emphasis on the impact of past eruptions. This could help to better evaluate volcanic hazards and design preparedness strategies to minimize the impact of a future eruption." (source éditeur)

After acquiring 91 km2of lidar data from the Zacapu region, West Mexico, we confronted a series of issues that most archaeologists using this technology face. These include the large volume of data available, the limited training of potential “analysts,” the difficult development of a collective mapping tool and protocol, and the reliability of desk-based interpretation of archaeological features. In this article, we present an initiative conducted in 2015 and 2017 as an attempt to answer these methodological and pedagogical issues. We developed a web mapping platform to collectively interpret archaeological features using lidar-derived imagery and to train volunteer students to participate in this desk-based web mapping within a crowdsourcing framework. After evaluating the results of this initiative, we discuss the potential and limitations of this method for both lidar-based research and future training.

International audience

International audience

International audience; "In the midst of the 13th century, a migrating human group colonised a new land west of the Zacapu basin in northern Michoacán. These newcomers constructed nearly urban sites which densities was unlike anything seen before, able to accommodate thousands of inhabitants. In this region where other people already dwelt, their installation and development in a couple of centuries (these sites were deserted at the beginning of the 15th century) induced a dramatic demographic pressure and led to a new definition of the territorial organization. A transformation that seems notably influenced by the appropriation of the environment and its resources by the newcomers. This phenomenon reflects the mythical history of the creation of the tarascan Kingdom like told by the ancients of the hierarchy of this civilisation in the 16th century. Through an approach combining classical archaeology and geoarchaeology, we intent to identify the modalities of this change in order to understand in what way does it create boundaries (physical or cultural) or alliances." (source éditeur); "Au milieu du xiiie siècle de notre ère, un nouveau groupe humain colonise l’ouest du bassin de Zacapu, dans le nord du Michoacán actuel. Il y édifie des sites à caractère urbain d’une densité inédite pour la région qui peuvent accueillir plusieurs milliers d’habitants. Dans cette région déjà occupée, leur construction et leur développement en seulement deux siècles (ces sites sont abandonné au début du xve siècle apr. J.-C.) provoquent une pression démographique importante et poussent à discuter de l’organisation territoriale locale. Un remodelage qui semble notamment influencé par l’appropriation par les nouveaux arrivants de l’environnement et de ses ressources. Il semble qu’on trouve des échos de ce phénomène dans l’histoire mythique de la création du Royaume tarasque telle qu’elle est contée par les anciens de l’élite de cette civilisation au xvie siècle. C’est à travers une approche combinant archéologie spatiale classique et géoarchéologie que l’on tente d’identifier les modalités de ce changement pour comprendre dans quelle mesure il a pu générer des frontières (physiques et culturelles) ou des alliances." (source éditeur) Texte accessible ici : https://books.openedition.org/psorbonne/6350

International audience; The Naachtun archaeological project started in 2010 with the aim of understanding the sociopolitical and economic history of one of the few Maya Classic capitals located in Northern Peten. Since 2013 a paleo-environmental team carried out a program of investigation to study the landuse and the management of local resources during the last three millennium, both in the urban area of Naachtun and in the main inundated depression area (bajo), north of the city. In this presentation, using archaeological and environmental data derived from excavations contexts, combined with Lidar data obtained from a coverage of 135km² which encompasses the Naachtun hinterland area, we will draw up an overview of the agrarian practices and strategies developed since the Preclassic times until the abandonment of the core zone at the end of the Terminal Classic period (circa. 950/1000 CE). We will show in particular the diversity of the agrarian techniques used according to different geomorphological and pedagogical contexts.