Hydraulic Society and Water Management in the Ancient Maya Lowlands of Mesoamerica

中美洲古代玛雅低地的水资源管理与水利社会

Sheryl Beach 雪莉·比奇
University of Texas at Austin 美国德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校

Abstract

Ancient Maya Civilization is well-known for social, architectural and artistic accomplishments. The Maya also had complex mathematics, a deep time concept and calendar, and written language. Thriving in the tropics is still no small feat, and this complex ancient society, spanning in time for several millennia, had a sophisticated understanding and practice of land and water use. This presentation will focus on Ancient Maya water management strategies, to understand the scope and scale of environmental manipulation and change, and of cycles of decline, sustainability and resilience. Our aim is to also to understand solutions to these environmental and population challenges that are relevant to developing tropical regions today.

古代玛雅文明以其高度发达的社会、建筑和艺术成就闻名于世。它还掌握着先进的数学知识、时间历法和书写文字。该文明在热带丛林中繁荣数千年,对于土地和水资源的利用有着复杂的认知与实践。本次演讲即聚焦于古代玛雅的水资源管理策略,以认识当时人们改造自然的范围与规模,以及环境衰退、持续和恢复的周期,并借以探讨在当今热带地区如何应对环境和人口压力带来的挑战。

Biographical Sketch

Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach (Ph.D. Geography, University of Minnesota) is Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin. She also is a Fellow of the CB Smith, Sr. Centennial Chair in US-Mexico Relations, and a Faculty Associate of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at UT Austin. Dr. Luzzadder-Beach is currently the Vice-President of the American Association of Geographers, serves on the American Association for the Advancement of Science’ Science and Human Rights Coalition Council, and on the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration. Dr. Luzzadder-Beach was awarded the G.K. Gilbert Award for Excellence in Geomorphological Research in 2010. She was awarded the 2013 George Mason University College of Science Publication Award, where she was a Geography Professor from 1993-2014 and served as GMU’s Associate Provost for General Education from 2000-2003. Her research is in hydrology, geoarchaeology of the Ancient Maya World and of Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations, geomorphology, spatial statistics, and gender, science and human rights in study regions ranging from Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, to California, Turkey, and Iceland. Her work has been generously supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, and NASA, among other sources.

雪莉·比奇在美国明尼苏达大学获地理学博士学位,现为德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校地理与环境学系教授、主任,美墨关系C.B.史密斯百年高级研究员,特蕾莎·朗拉丁美洲研究院助理教员。她还兼任美国地理学家学会副会长,并供职于美国科学促进会科学与人权联盟理事会、美国国家地理协会研究与探索委员会。其研究方向为古代玛雅和地中海文明的水文地理、地质考古,以及世界其他地区(从墨西哥、伯利兹、危地马拉到加利福尼亚、土耳其、冰岛)的地形学、空间统计、性别、科学与人权,并得到来自美国国家科学基金会、美国国家地理协会和美国国家航空航天局等多个机构的资助。她于2010年获G.K.吉尔伯特奖,2013年获乔治·梅森大学科学出版奖。她于1993-2014年担任乔治梅森大学地理学教授,并于2000-2003年任该校通识教育副教务长。