Read Online The Emperor Has No Clothes A Practical Guide for Environmental and Social Transformation by John Hagen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: John Hagen
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can be harvested after 6
months to 2 years after planting. Just prior to “abandoning” the
depleted field that will lie fallow they plant up to 16 species of
trees and shrubs that provide desirable fruit. Returning to the
plot occasionally to prune and do light weeding. The fruits of
these trees are also consumed by game animals and birds which are
attracted to the fallowed area providing an additional source of
wild food. Moreover, the game animals also establish additional
fruit bearing plants by seeds carried in their droppings further
enhancing the plots as a resource while providing an essential part
of the recuperative process. From: The Fate of the Forest by Hecht
& Cockburn. pp. 45-50.
In addition to the cultivation of plants,
Maya archaeological sites have provided evidence of hunting and
gathering of wild foods found in the surrounding forests and
aquatic environment. Appraisals of the quantities of food remains
indicate that their diet consisted principally of corn, beans and
squash, supplemented by minor amounts of avocado, coca, palm
fruits, and dogs. The favored wild foods were white tailed dear,
peccary, fish, mollusks, and wild forest mammae apples.xii Because
of the large geographic area through which these kingdoms were
located, the level of consumption of the various food varieties
reflected local availability. For example, kingdoms that had access
to aquatic resources incorporated more of these food types in their
diets. To get a sense of the amount of variation among Maya
kingdoms a few will be used as examples. We will start with Copan
located in the interior of Honduras. The rise and fall of Copan's
population was worked out by Ann Corrine Freter of Ohio University
using obsidian hydration dating, and Wingard who assessed the
carrying capacity of the area. We will start in the mid to late 6th
century CE when all of the alluvial soil was in agricultural
production. At this time Wingard estimated that around 5,000 people
resided in this area.
Date CE......................Populations
600– 650........................5,520
650-699.......................10,426
Population Exceeds Alluvial Carrying
Capacity
700-749.......................15,009
750-799.......................27,773
Population Maximum
800-849.......................25,656
Royal Dynasty gone.
850-899........................26,381
900-949........................14,821
950-999........................12,118
1000-1049.....................7,698
1050-1100.....................3.813
After the population exceeded the alluvial
carrying capacity, the less desirable forested lands on the slopes
were exploited to provide sustenance to the burgeoning population,
thereby causing progressive environmental degradation from severe
erosion and soil depletion. [19] By the 8th century deforestation
was probably complete. The population continued to grow, and became
progressively more impoverished as a result of an inability to
produce adequate amounts of food.
19. David Webster excavated a Maya building
in this area that had walls that are 7 meters (23 feet) high which
were nearly covered by eroded soil. The top layer of newly formed
soil was only 4 – 8 cm thick and mostly comprised of roots after
approximately 700 years regeneration.
Archaeological research suggests that the
farmers did not have permanent rights to a parcel of land. Land
rights where possessed by the royals and controlled through the
nobles who would allow a farmer the use of a parcel on a temporary
basis. There is no evidence that the elites ever initiated any
measures to address the declining agricultural production. This
inactivity is puzzling since they did have a knowledge of
terracing. Terracing uses retention walls to immobilize soil and is
an effective means of preventing erosion on slanted fields. Perhaps
an explanation can be found for this failure by looking at other
more documented societies such as 19th century Ireland, where the
elites were also “absentee
months to 2 years after planting. Just prior to “abandoning” the
depleted field that will lie fallow they plant up to 16 species of
trees and shrubs that provide desirable fruit. Returning to the
plot occasionally to prune and do light weeding. The fruits of
these trees are also consumed by game animals and birds which are
attracted to the fallowed area providing an additional source of
wild food. Moreover, the game animals also establish additional
fruit bearing plants by seeds carried in their droppings further
enhancing the plots as a resource while providing an essential part
of the recuperative process. From: The Fate of the Forest by Hecht
& Cockburn. pp. 45-50.
In addition to the cultivation of plants,
Maya archaeological sites have provided evidence of hunting and
gathering of wild foods found in the surrounding forests and
aquatic environment. Appraisals of the quantities of food remains
indicate that their diet consisted principally of corn, beans and
squash, supplemented by minor amounts of avocado, coca, palm
fruits, and dogs. The favored wild foods were white tailed dear,
peccary, fish, mollusks, and wild forest mammae apples.xii Because
of the large geographic area through which these kingdoms were
located, the level of consumption of the various food varieties
reflected local availability. For example, kingdoms that had access
to aquatic resources incorporated more of these food types in their
diets. To get a sense of the amount of variation among Maya
kingdoms a few will be used as examples. We will start with Copan
located in the interior of Honduras. The rise and fall of Copan's
population was worked out by Ann Corrine Freter of Ohio University
using obsidian hydration dating, and Wingard who assessed the
carrying capacity of the area. We will start in the mid to late 6th
century CE when all of the alluvial soil was in agricultural
production. At this time Wingard estimated that around 5,000 people
resided in this area.
Date CE......................Populations
600– 650........................5,520
650-699.......................10,426
Population Exceeds Alluvial Carrying
Capacity
700-749.......................15,009
750-799.......................27,773
Population Maximum
800-849.......................25,656
Royal Dynasty gone.
850-899........................26,381
900-949........................14,821
950-999........................12,118
1000-1049.....................7,698
1050-1100.....................3.813
After the population exceeded the alluvial
carrying capacity, the less desirable forested lands on the slopes
were exploited to provide sustenance to the burgeoning population,
thereby causing progressive environmental degradation from severe
erosion and soil depletion. [19] By the 8th century deforestation
was probably complete. The population continued to grow, and became
progressively more impoverished as a result of an inability to
produce adequate amounts of food.
19. David Webster excavated a Maya building
in this area that had walls that are 7 meters (23 feet) high which
were nearly covered by eroded soil. The top layer of newly formed
soil was only 4 – 8 cm thick and mostly comprised of roots after
approximately 700 years regeneration.
Archaeological research suggests that the
farmers did not have permanent rights to a parcel of land. Land
rights where possessed by the royals and controlled through the
nobles who would allow a farmer the use of a parcel on a temporary
basis. There is no evidence that the elites ever initiated any
measures to address the declining agricultural production. This
inactivity is puzzling since they did have a knowledge of
terracing. Terracing uses retention walls to immobilize soil and is
an effective means of preventing erosion on slanted fields. Perhaps
an explanation can be found for this failure by looking at other
more documented societies such as 19th century Ireland, where the
elites were also “absentee
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