ABSTRACT
The Rio Hondo Project was an early model of multi-disciplinary research on the ecology of agriculture in the Maya Lowlands. Siemens and Dennis E. Puleston co-directed two principal field seasons in 1973 and 1974. The objectives of the research were to determine the extent of wetland agriculture in northern Belize through ground survey and to excavate the fields themselves at San Antonio Rio Hondo on Albion Island. Rio Hondo Project research has suggested that the ancient Maya initially practiced flood-recessional agriculture on peats in sawgrass swamps about 1000 B.C. In the Preclassic period the potential for surplus production was great in the riverine areas of northern Belize where fertile peats lined the flood plains. Aerial photography, together with pace and compass mapping, revealed that canals covered the wetlands of northern Belize. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
