BACKGROUND ON MAYA PREHISTORY

_______Scholars studying Classic Maya development (Table 1) suggest that early expansion of pioneer farmers moved from coastal areas up rivers into the interior (Puleston and Puleston 1971, 1972; Rice and Puleston 1981; Voorhies 1982; see also Adams 1977). Subsequently, population growth in the central lowlands has been documented in all investigated areas from initial occupation in the Middle and Late Preclassic through the Late Classic periods (Ashmore 1981; Ford 1986; Fry 1969; Puleston 1973; Rice 1976; Turner 1990). Administrative centers emerge in the Late Preclassic, and the first dated monuments mark the beginning of the Early Classic period in the interior core and the lakes areas to the south (Rice 1976; Marcus 1976). The Late Classic period witnesses acceleration of building at centers all over the central lowland area.

_______Notable local variations in settlement chronology and patterns (Ashmore 1981) are evident for the three major areas of the central lowland region: the peripheral riverine, southern lakes, and interior core areas. Major centers of the core area generally were composed of more than 20 courtyard complexes (e.g., Tikal, Uaxactun), centers of the lakes areas averaged from 10 to 20 courtyards (e.g., Yaxha, Tayasal), and the centers of the eastern riverine areas had only around 5 courtyard complexes (Adams and Jones 1981:305). These data suggest regional variations in economic and political relations among distant hierarchically organized communities during Classic times. It appears the variability in settlement organization and land use is, to a large extent, dependent upon the distribution and nature of land resources in the different areas (Fedick and Ford 1990).

CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT, AND LAND RESOURCES

_______In planning for the management of archaeological resources, initial concerns of the Programme for Belize are the potential number and distribution of archaeological sites within the area. Recent research has demonstrated that the general pattern of prehistoric Maya settlement in the central Maya lowlands was strongly and consistently structured by land resources (Fedick 1989; Fedick and Ford 1990; Ford 1986; see also Bullard 1960; Green 1973; Puleston 1973; Rice 1976; Sanders 1973, 1977). The diversity of land resources in the Rio Bravo Conservation Area holds significant implications for studying prehistoric Maya settlement and land use. In this report, we provide a tentative evaluation of settlement and land resource relationships within the Rio Bravo Conservation Area which is based on the available land resource data (Wright et al. 1959) and our studies of prehistoric Maya settlement in other parts of the central Maya lowlands (Fedick 1988a, 1989; Fedick and Ford 1990; Ford 1981, 1985, 1986). The environment and settlement relationships we identify provide the basis of an archaeological resource management program which can be tested and used in the area.

_______Hypothesized settlement and land resource relationships have been tested and proven to be highly successful in the prediction of archaeological site densities in the upper Belize River area, situated immediately south of the Rio Bravo Conservation Area (Fedick 1985, 1988a, 1989). Modeling of settlement patterns for the upper Belize River area was based on the evaluation of land resources in terms of agricultural capability under hand-cultivation technology. Evaluation of land resources is a form of economic analysis in which potential productivity of land types are assessed by comparing the required labor and capital inputs with the potential goods produced (see Davidson 1980; FAO 1976). After land types are evaluated, their extent, or relative abundance, figures predominantly in the assessment of their potential contribution to the subsistence economy of an area.

_______The patterned relationship between settlement and land resources enables predictions to be made regarding site densities among various land types, while simultaneously providing a basis for studying Maya social organization and agricultural development. Predictive modeling is of tremendous value to the development of cultural resource management plans, and has been applied to many areas of the world (Judge and Sebastian 1988; Kohler and Parker 1986). The adaptation and application of predictive modeling will be of great value to cultural resource management for the Programme for Belize.