ABSTRACT
The culture area of Mesoamerica makes up a little over 1 million km 2
(397,000 mi 2) in what are now the countries of Guatemala, Mexico, Be-
lize, E l Salvador, and eastern Honduras (see Map 2.1). It is an area of
striking ecological diversity created by mountainous terrain, coastal plains,
and a limestone platform (Yucatan) situated in tropical and subtropical
latitudes. Volcanic eruptions are common, as are earthquakes, hurricanes,
and less drastic modifications of the landscape. Altitude, rainfall, and soil
differences create innumerable regional variants. As noted elsewhere
(Adams 1991:15), "compressed ecological diversity" is a succinct way of
characterizing the area.
