Agriculture, Forest Management, and the Demise of the Classic Maya City of Tikal

Agricultural systems, forestry, and the management of other natural resources are the underpinnings of any complex society. Paleoecologist and ethnobotanist David Lentz studies how Indigenous peoples, both past and present, have used plants, in order to develop a greater understanding of how early cultures manipulated their environment through their agricultural and other land-use practices. Dr. Lentz will present insights into the ways the ancient Maya of Tikal managed their resources and how their strategies ultimately led to the demise of this splendid Late Classic city in the tropical northern lowlands of present-day Guatemala.