ABSTRACT
The vestiges of terraced hillsides throughout the Rio Bec region are evidence that ancient farmers altered the surface geometry of slopes for some purpose. Direct evidence of the procedures of cultivation and crops used on Rio Bec terraces is sparse. Excavations of terrace walls uncovered a number of chipped stone artifacts and obsidian blades, probably the remains of agricultural tools. The construction and use of terraces, as with most other agrotechnology, does not necessarily imply a particular level of social organization. The Rio Bec region was depopulated and/or abandoned in a major way beginning about A.D. 830–950. The initial farmers most likely sought the more optimal habitats for extensive forms of cultivation, that being well drained rendoll-like soils. Regardless of the larger theoretical issues, the Rio Bec evidence demonstrates that agricultural responses in terms of inputs and outputs was no different among the Maya than it was among other early civilizations.
