Paleocoastal Reconstruction of an Ancient Maya Trading Port, Quintana Roo, Mexico

The Costa Escondida Project is a long-term interdisciplinary research effort focused on understanding the complex interrelationships between the ancient Maya and their environment along the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Sea-level trends were documented at the ancient maritime Maya site of Vista Alegre. The results indicate at least three periods of relative sea-level change within approximately 2000 to 3000 years, revealing distinct patterns associated with these separate events. Those changes have been defined using earth sciences methods, such as sedimentology and shallow marine geophysical survey. Sea-level changes appear to have significantly altered the shoreline and hydrology across this dynamic coastal zone, which is characterized by low topographic relief. Shoreline reconfiguration and associated ecological shifts affected the lifeways of the maritime-adapted inhabitants of Vista Alegre, as evident in the archaeological record. By correlating multiple facets of the paleoenvironment with broader social and economic developments, the project can reveal the challenges faced, and opportunities pursued, by these coastal peoples as they interacted with their changing coastal landscape.