Abstract
Research at the site of Sayil in the Yucatan Peninsula has provided a valuable database for making inferences about the Terminal Classic (A.D. 750–1000) occupation of the Puuc region. This article evaluates and modifies previous demographic estimates for the site and considers the long-term implications associated with supporting this many people. Although a relatively high level of population was possible because of the excellent soils in the region, their natural fertility could not have been sustained indefinitely. The apparent demographic load on the proposed Sayil system would have required an intensive cropping strategy that may not have been sustainable for more than 75 years. This conclusion not only indicates how long the principal occupation of Sayil may have lasted, but more importantly, how the occupational dynamics during the Terminal Classic may have played out in the greater Puuc region.
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Andrews, B.W. Sayil Revisited: Inferring Terminal Classic Population Size and Dynamics in the West-Central Yucatán Peninsula. Hum Ecol 32, 593–613 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-004-6098-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-004-6098-6