This publication details the historical geography of the San Juan River Wetlands in Central Veracruz, Mexico, spanning from A.D. 500 to the present. It presents a comprehensive record of Alfred Siemens' extensive research into the region's land-use history, focusing on the enduring relationship between Prehispanic agricultural practices and contemporary tropical lowland production systems. Through detailed analysis, the work charts the evolution of human interaction with the landscape, from ancient canal and raised field systems to modern cattle ranching. Supported by aerial photography, maps, tables, and archival data, this volume offers an authoritative account of a dynamic wetland environment.
The manual serves as a thorough resource for understanding the historical development and environmental transformations of the San Juan Basin. It covers the intricate details of Prehispanic agricultural engineering, the subsequent changes in land use, and the ecological shifts observed over fifteen centuries. This guide is intended for historians, geographers, environmental scientists, and anyone interested in the long-term human impact on tropical landscapes, providing insights into the complex interplay between culture, agriculture, and the environment.
The wetlands of the San Juan Basin in Central Veracruz, Mexico, have been a favored place since the fifth century A.D., when Prehispanic people built an extensive network of canals and raised fields that allowed for almost year-round agriculture. Alfred Siemens' discovery of the remains of this network in the 1970s led him to uncover fifteen centuries of land-use history in the region. This book contains a full record of his findings. Siemens organizes his history of the San Juan Basin around the question: What relationships exist between Prehispanic agriculture and the production systems of the tropical lowlands in our own time? This focus allows him to chart the changes in human perceptions and uses of the landscape, from the Prehispanic wetland agricultural system to the drained pastures of today's cattle ranches. Amplified with air oblique photography, maps, and tables, and enriched with data from archaeology and colonial archives, this is an authoritative historical geography of a wetland landscape. Or, in the author's more modest words, "It seems to me that what I have here is a biography of a swamp."
Author: Siemens, Alfred H.
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Illustration: N
Language: ENG
Title: A Favored Place: San Juan River Wetlands, Central Veracruz, A.D. 500 to the Present
Pages: 00000 (Encrypted EPUB)
On Sale: 2010-07-22
SKU-13/ISBN: 9780292777279
Category: History : Historical Geography
Category: Social Science : Human Geography
Category: Nature : Environmental Conservation & Protection - General
The wetlands of the San Juan Basin in Central Veracruz, Mexico, have been a favored place since the fifth century A.D., when Prehispanic people built an extensive network of canals and raised fields that allowed for almost year-round agriculture. Alfred Siemens' discovery of the remains of this network in the 1970s led him to uncover fifteen centuries of land-use history in the region. This book contains a full record of his findings. Siemens organizes his history of the San Juan Basin around the question: What relationships exist between Prehispanic agriculture and the production systems of the tropical lowlands in our own time? This focus allows him to chart the changes in human perceptions and uses of the landscape, from the Prehispanic wetland agricultural system to the drained pastures of today's cattle ranches. Amplified with air oblique photography, maps, and tables, and enriched with data from archaeology and colonial archives, this is an authoritative historical geography of a wetland landscape. Or, in the author's more modest words, "It seems to me that what I have here is a biography of a swamp."
Author: Siemens, Alfred H.
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Illustration: N
Language: ENG
Title: A Favored Place: San Juan River Wetlands, Central Veracruz, A.D. 500 to the Present
Pages: 00000 (Encrypted EPUB)
On Sale: 2010-07-22
SKU-13/ISBN: 9780292777279
Category: History : Historical Geography
Category: Social Science : Human Geography
Category: Nature : Environmental Conservation & Protection - General
