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A Maya Dam in the Copan Valley, Honduras

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

B. L. Turner II  and
William C. Johnson
B. L. Turner II
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019
William C. Johnson
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019
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Abstract

A prehispanic Maya dam is reported in the Copan Valley of Honduras. The dam is situated in the foothills above the river bottom at the headwaters of a small tributary, the Quebrada Petapilla. Constructed of cut stone and mortar, the dam was built immediately downstream from a spring and once created a small, flowing pond. The function of the dam is uncertain, although the creation of a greater head of water for the irrigation of the quality farmlands in the foothill zone is a possibility. The dam probably dates no later than the Late Classic period [A.D. 650-800].

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , April 1979 , pp. 299 - 305
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1979

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References

References Cited

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