Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
geochemistry, ancient Maya, architectural remains, archaeological sites
College
Life Sciences
Department
Physiology and Developmental Biology
Abstract
Many of the activities of the ancient Maya did not leave artifactual or architectural remains for us to study, since many activities involved organic materials that were biodegraded over time. Furthermore, the warm and humid climate accelerated the decomposition of most organic materials (Dahlin et al., 2007). However, minerals like phosphate contained in food and other organic materials are fixed on the soil surface, imprinting a chemical trace which is possible to analyze (Barba and Ortiz 1992; Terry et al. 2000; Parnell et al. 2001). Geochemical techniques can be used to determine ancient human activity and their correlation to minerals like P, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn. Moreover, the geochemical results from these analysis can be spatially analyzed to define the places the activities took place.
Recommended Citation
Terry, Dr. Richard
(2013)
"Mentored Research in Geochemistry of Ancient Maya and Fremont Archaeological Sites,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013:
Iss.
1, Article 1832.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/1832