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Canal Irrigation in Prehistoric Mexico : The Sequence of Technological Change / William E. Doolittle.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Austin : University of Texas Press, [2021]Copyright date: ©1990Description: 1 online resource (219 p.)Content type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780292772120
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 627/.52/09720902 20
LOC classification:
  • F1219.3.I77 D66 1990
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources:
Contents:
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. Prehistoric Irrigation, Technology, and Mexico -- 2. An Era of Experimentation, 1200-350 B.C. -- 3. A Time of Maturation, 350 B.C.—A.D. 800 -- 4. A Period of Expansion and Intensification, a .d . 800-1200 -- 5. The Golden Age, a .d . 1200-1520 -- 6. Origins and Cultural Implications -- 7. Accomplishments and Contributions -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary: Prehistoric farmers in Mexico invented irrigation, developed it into a science, and used it widely. Indeed, many of the canal systems still in use in Mexico today were originally begun well before the discovery of the New World. In this comprehensive study, William E. Doolittle synthesizes and extensively analyzes all that is currently known about the development and use of irrigation technology in prehistoric Mexico from about 1200 B.C. until the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century A.D. Unlike authors of previous studies who have focused on the political, economic, and social implications of irrigation, Doolittle considers it in a developmental context. He examines virtually all the known systems, from small canals that diverted runoff from ephemeral mountain streams to elaborate networks that involved numerous large canals to irrigate broad valley floors with water from perennial rivers. Throughout the discussion, he gives special emphasis to the technological elaborations that distinguish each system from its predecessors. He also traces the spread of canal technology into and through different ecological settings. This research substantially clarifies the relationship between irrigation technology in Mexico and the American Southwest and argues persuasively that much of the technology that has been attributed to the Spaniards was actually developed in Mexico by indigenous people. These findings will be important not only for archaeologists working in this area but also for geographers, historians, and engineers interested in agriculture, technology, and arid lands.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9780292772120

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- 1. Prehistoric Irrigation, Technology, and Mexico -- 2. An Era of Experimentation, 1200-350 B.C. -- 3. A Time of Maturation, 350 B.C.—A.D. 800 -- 4. A Period of Expansion and Intensification, a .d . 800-1200 -- 5. The Golden Age, a .d . 1200-1520 -- 6. Origins and Cultural Implications -- 7. Accomplishments and Contributions -- Bibliography -- Index

restricted access online access with authorization star

http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

Prehistoric farmers in Mexico invented irrigation, developed it into a science, and used it widely. Indeed, many of the canal systems still in use in Mexico today were originally begun well before the discovery of the New World. In this comprehensive study, William E. Doolittle synthesizes and extensively analyzes all that is currently known about the development and use of irrigation technology in prehistoric Mexico from about 1200 B.C. until the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century A.D. Unlike authors of previous studies who have focused on the political, economic, and social implications of irrigation, Doolittle considers it in a developmental context. He examines virtually all the known systems, from small canals that diverted runoff from ephemeral mountain streams to elaborate networks that involved numerous large canals to irrigate broad valley floors with water from perennial rivers. Throughout the discussion, he gives special emphasis to the technological elaborations that distinguish each system from its predecessors. He also traces the spread of canal technology into and through different ecological settings. This research substantially clarifies the relationship between irrigation technology in Mexico and the American Southwest and argues persuasively that much of the technology that has been attributed to the Spaniards was actually developed in Mexico by indigenous people. These findings will be important not only for archaeologists working in this area but also for geographers, historians, and engineers interested in agriculture, technology, and arid lands.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Apr 2022)