Down to Business: Ancient Marketplace Activities in the Maya City of Kiuic, Yucatan, Mexico.

Most ancient Maya cities contain no artifacts beyond those made of stone and ceramic. The decomposition and therefore the absence of perishable artifacts in the subtropical climate of Yucatan have contributed to the mystery of daily life of the ancient Maya.  How did they sustain and feed these large populations? The answers lay in the soil! Every human activity has an impact on the environment. As the Maya cleared trees, built buildings, painted walls and stored and prepared food, they left a record of chemical residues. Trace metal and phosphorus levels in the soil will help us to identify ancient activities, including marketplace trade that likely occurred in plazas and other public open spaces. We will present the results of our soil geochemical study of the plazas in the ancient Maya city of Kiuic, Yucatan, Mexico.