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Long-Distance Staple Transport in Western Mesoamerica: Insights Through Quantitative Modeling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2008

Andrew Sluyter
Andrew Sluyter
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1098, USA
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Abstract

Conceptualizations of pre-Hispanic staple transport remain underdeveloped. Conventional wisdom has long maintained that while “prestige goods” could demand long-distance transport, staple transport was short distance. A quantitative model reveals the fallacy of that argument and establishes the possibility of long-distance, overland staple transport in Mesoamerica by using maize tribute transport between Zempoala and Tenochtitlan as an example. This conclusion has implications for understanding Mesoamerican interregional exchange, ecology, and society.

Type
Articles
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , Fall 1993 , pp. 193 - 199
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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