Fuel economy, woodland management and adaptation strategies in a Classic Maya city: applying anthracology to urban settings in high biodiversity tropical forests

Fuelling ancient Maya cities and industries has been identified for some time now as a critical concern for the pre-Columbian Maya, especially since there is evidence of dramatic deforestation throughout the Maya Lowlands during the Preclassic and Classic periods. This article aims to trace the domestic fuel economy at the lowland site of Naachtun, Guatemala, over 8 centuries (150–950 ce) in order to discover its role in the development of society. A significant anthracological (charcoal) dataset from household contexts is examined through multivariate analyses and sequencing. A detailed statement of taxon identification is provided. The results demonstrate that there were two systems of firewood use over time. The first consisted of the sustainable use of fragmented, diverse woodlands. The second, beginning around 750 ce, changed to a heavier reliance on multi-purpose, fruit-bearing trees and pine wood. We hypothesize that forest resource management was initially linked to an extensive, subsistence-based farming system in which mature forests and fallow land were constantly renewed, ensuring their sustainability. The change towards the use of woodlands enriched with useful plants (perhaps forest gardens or fruit tree plantations) was probably an adaptation strategy at the time of the Naachtun population peak. It suggests that fuel was now subject to a city allocation system that relied on new supply sources, some of which were potentially remote. Our results also indicate a substantially drier forest cover during at least the Early Classic period in the Naachtun region, corroborating regional palaeoclimate data. This demonstrates the reliability and usefulness of charcoal studies for palaeoecological reconstructions in the high biodiversity tropical forests of the Maya Lowlands.