Ancient Mesoamerican Population History

Establishing ancient population numbers and determining how they were distributed across a landscape over time constitute two of the most pressing problems in archaeology. Accurate population data is crucial for modeling, interpreting, and understanding the past. Now, advances in both archaeology and technology have changed the way that such approximations can be achieved. Including research from both highland central Mexico and the tropical lowlands of the Maya and Olmec areas, this book reexamines the demography in ancient Mesoamerica. Contributors present methods for determining population estimates, field methods for settlement pattern studies to obtain demographic data, and new technologies such as LiDAR (light detecting and ranging) that have expanded views of the ground in forested areas. Contributions to this book provide a view of ancient landscape use and modification that was not possible in the twentieth century. This important new work provides new understandings of Mesoamerican urbanism, development, and changes over time.ContributorsTraci ArdrenM. Charlotte ArnauldBárbara ArroyoLuke Auld-ThomasMarcello A. CanutoAdrian S. Z. ChaseArlen F. ChaseDiane Z. ChaseElyse D. Z. ChaseJavier EstradaGary M. FeinmanL. J. GorenfloJulien HiquetScott R. HutsonGerardo Jiménez DelgadoEva LemonnierRodrigo Liendo StuardoJosé LoboJavier López MejíaMichael L. LoughlinDeborah L. NicholsChristopher A. PoolIan G. RobertsonJeremy A. SabloffTravis W. Stanton