PUBLICATIONS
October 2000 Issue
The Geographical Review
October 2000, Vol. 90 (4), pp. 493-510
WATER RESOURCES OF THE CHUNCHUCMIL MAYA
SHERYL LUZZADDER-BEACH
Keywords: geoarchaeology, groundwater quality, Maya, water use, Yucatán Peninsula.
ABSTRACT:
Chunchucmil, on the Yucatán Peninsula, was densely populated in the Maya Late
Classic period (ca. A.D. 550-830), even though it depends principally on groundwater. In the
1990s, hydrologic investigations were conducted to determine whether groundwater could
have met domestic and agricultural needs. The region's groundwater is near the surface and
is influenced by sea-level fluctuations; however, geochemical analysis revealed that groundwater
quality is not affected by mixing with seawater. The potential exists for high and spatially
extensive nitrate contamination in this karstic area, yet water-quality analyses revealed
only moderate levels of nitrate in the groundwater. Agricultural limitations are imposed by
chloride, total dissolved solids, and salinity, as indicated by electrical conductivity; domestic
water use is limited by the presence of nitrate, sulfate, and chloride. Through-flow in the ring
of cenotes (sinkholes) around the Chicxulub impact crater may explain the movement and
spatial distribution of water-quality constituents in Chunchucmil's groundwater.
Keywords: geoarchaeology, groundwater quality, Maya, water use, Yucatán Peninsula.
ABSTRACT:
Chunchucmil, on the Yucatán Peninsula, was densely populated in the Maya Late Classic period (ca. A.D. 550-830), even though it depends principally on groundwater. In the 1990s, hydrologic investigations were conducted to determine whether groundwater could have met domestic and agricultural needs. The region's groundwater is near the surface and is influenced by sea-level fluctuations; however, geochemical analysis revealed that groundwater quality is not affected by mixing with seawater. The potential exists for high and spatially extensive nitrate contamination in this karstic area, yet water-quality analyses revealed only moderate levels of nitrate in the groundwater. Agricultural limitations are imposed by chloride, total dissolved solids, and salinity, as indicated by electrical conductivity; domestic water use is limited by the presence of nitrate, sulfate, and chloride. Through-flow in the ring of cenotes (sinkholes) around the Chicxulub impact crater may explain the movement and spatial distribution of water-quality constituents in Chunchucmil's groundwater.