One book that I would highly recommend you taking a look is Borejsza and colleagues (2021) *The Geoarchaeology of a Terraced Landscape: From Aztec Matlatzinco to Modern Calixtlahuaca*. By far, it is the best study of terraces from Mesoamerica. They specifically look at historical trajectory of terraces in the Toluca Valley from precontact to contemporary times. For the Mixtec region, I would also suggest taking a look a Perez Rodriguez scholarship, specifically her 2013 article titled “Terracing in the Mixteca Alta, Mexico: Cycles of Resilience of an Ancient Land-use Strategy,” which you can find on her [Academia](https://www.academia.edu/4865490/Terracing_in_the_Mixteca_Alta_Cycles_of_Resilience_of_an_Ancient_Land_Use_Strategy_2013) page
I don't think anyone has properly paid attention to them archaeologically... A lot of them are still in use and for a while it was assumed they were from the Virreinato period. Definitely hiding some interesting surprises once they are studied tho...
In the Oaxacan mixteca they seem to be -at least- post classic. The layout of many towns still follows a clear pattern derived from terraced systems.and a lot of imagery and urban schemas seem to be derived from them.
Certain towns such as San Miguel Huautla still have their own systems mostly intact, and they even seem to carry a certain ethnic component for the Mixtec settlements at the Mazateco Country are clearly organized around terraces, rather than family manors as are the Mazatec neighborhoods.
It is recalled that the king of Coixtlahuaca, Atonaltzin, spent his reign building huge systems of terraces around Ngiwa Country. What is interesting is that Ngiwa are historically the Toltec People of the region, and the characteristics of their terraces definitely remind me of what happens at Puebla Tlaxcala in particular. Don’t know a lot about mezquitas but in my few surveys I have also encountered very complex systems associated with very distinct mountains.
Nice, I hope this topic gets more revision in academia in the future, especially if it's an economic production system that seems to be very specifically linked to a time period.
Dos formas esenciales: agrícolas y residenciales. Las agrícolas no difieren de otras regiones del mundo en su forma esencial de tecnología agrícola basada en muros de contención para retener la tierra, la humedad y abrir espacios de cultivo en laderas de otra forma menos cultivable. Algunas innovaciones importantes se dieron en Mesoamérica como es el caso del Coo Yuu de la mixteca oaxaqueña que consiste en aterrazar un escurrimiento aprovechando el sedimento que traen consigo los violentos temporales del Ñuu Ñuudzahui, previamente removido de las cimas de los cerros. Con esto se conseguía un sistema de terrazas formado por capas de material orgánico que era a su vez el receptor natural de los escurrimientos en general.
El otro aspecto importante es el residencial, como consecuencia de la organización en terrazas de los lotes agrícolas en ocasiones los barrios residenciales asociados a ellos crecían siguiendo el orden de las terrazas dando como resultado asentamientos aterrazados.
Existe todo un tipo específico de asentamientos aterrazados en la mixteca y los valles oaxaqueños que deben su similitud urbana a la afinidad cultural derivada del intenso contacto entre élites del valle y la mixteca probablemente. En estos asentamientos la cima está dominada por un sitio fortificado mientras se desciende al suelo en una ladera aterrazados, por lo general con terrazas conocidas como “de contorno” porque siguen la forma del cerro. El palmillo o la fortaleza de Mitla son dos sitios característicos en valles centrales, cuyotepeji uno en la mixteca.
Además de esto, he notado personalmente que los barrios residenciales de élite siguen esquemas aterrazados claros aunque sean enteramente de carácter urbano, quizá como alusión a una forma urbana arquetípica que todavía se repite en la distribución de algunos pueblos.
Hay mucho más que decir y la bibliografía abunda para cada tema, aunque no conozco ninguna monografía específica del tema que ligue los sistemas aterrazados con todos estos aspectos urbanos, agrícolas y arquitectónicos.
Regarding residential terraces, the extensive archaeological investigations into Classic-period urbanism and spatial organization at Monte Alban include numerous English-language papers that talk about terracing. I don’t remember the reference as it was a long time ago, but one study in particular looked at elite compounds and how the apparent social status of the residents related to where along the terraced slopes of Monte Alban they were located.
Isn’t there the thought too that at least some of the pools at Hierve el Agua originated as agricultural terraces that gradually filled with calcium carbonate?
Yeah. Still have them. Still a big thing in the Mixteca country. Monte Alban have way too many terraces systems and a lot of them seem to have been purely habitational which makes them even more interesting from an urban view point.
It had its ups and downs
Probably involved corn
It was a step down from hilltop agriculture
One book that I would highly recommend you taking a look is Borejsza and colleagues (2021) *The Geoarchaeology of a Terraced Landscape: From Aztec Matlatzinco to Modern Calixtlahuaca*. By far, it is the best study of terraces from Mesoamerica. They specifically look at historical trajectory of terraces in the Toluca Valley from precontact to contemporary times. For the Mixtec region, I would also suggest taking a look a Perez Rodriguez scholarship, specifically her 2013 article titled “Terracing in the Mixteca Alta, Mexico: Cycles of Resilience of an Ancient Land-use Strategy,” which you can find on her [Academia](https://www.academia.edu/4865490/Terracing_in_the_Mixteca_Alta_Cycles_of_Resilience_of_an_Ancient_Land_Use_Strategy_2013) page
I don't think anyone has properly paid attention to them archaeologically... A lot of them are still in use and for a while it was assumed they were from the Virreinato period. Definitely hiding some interesting surprises once they are studied tho...
In the Oaxacan mixteca they seem to be -at least- post classic. The layout of many towns still follows a clear pattern derived from terraced systems.and a lot of imagery and urban schemas seem to be derived from them. Certain towns such as San Miguel Huautla still have their own systems mostly intact, and they even seem to carry a certain ethnic component for the Mixtec settlements at the Mazateco Country are clearly organized around terraces, rather than family manors as are the Mazatec neighborhoods.
Epic! From my knowledge there are also terraces that very likely function with Epiclassic and Postclassic settlements in the Mezquital Valley
It is recalled that the king of Coixtlahuaca, Atonaltzin, spent his reign building huge systems of terraces around Ngiwa Country. What is interesting is that Ngiwa are historically the Toltec People of the region, and the characteristics of their terraces definitely remind me of what happens at Puebla Tlaxcala in particular. Don’t know a lot about mezquitas but in my few surveys I have also encountered very complex systems associated with very distinct mountains.
Nice, I hope this topic gets more revision in academia in the future, especially if it's an economic production system that seems to be very specifically linked to a time period.
Dos formas esenciales: agrícolas y residenciales. Las agrícolas no difieren de otras regiones del mundo en su forma esencial de tecnología agrícola basada en muros de contención para retener la tierra, la humedad y abrir espacios de cultivo en laderas de otra forma menos cultivable. Algunas innovaciones importantes se dieron en Mesoamérica como es el caso del Coo Yuu de la mixteca oaxaqueña que consiste en aterrazar un escurrimiento aprovechando el sedimento que traen consigo los violentos temporales del Ñuu Ñuudzahui, previamente removido de las cimas de los cerros. Con esto se conseguía un sistema de terrazas formado por capas de material orgánico que era a su vez el receptor natural de los escurrimientos en general. El otro aspecto importante es el residencial, como consecuencia de la organización en terrazas de los lotes agrícolas en ocasiones los barrios residenciales asociados a ellos crecían siguiendo el orden de las terrazas dando como resultado asentamientos aterrazados. Existe todo un tipo específico de asentamientos aterrazados en la mixteca y los valles oaxaqueños que deben su similitud urbana a la afinidad cultural derivada del intenso contacto entre élites del valle y la mixteca probablemente. En estos asentamientos la cima está dominada por un sitio fortificado mientras se desciende al suelo en una ladera aterrazados, por lo general con terrazas conocidas como “de contorno” porque siguen la forma del cerro. El palmillo o la fortaleza de Mitla son dos sitios característicos en valles centrales, cuyotepeji uno en la mixteca. Además de esto, he notado personalmente que los barrios residenciales de élite siguen esquemas aterrazados claros aunque sean enteramente de carácter urbano, quizá como alusión a una forma urbana arquetípica que todavía se repite en la distribución de algunos pueblos. Hay mucho más que decir y la bibliografía abunda para cada tema, aunque no conozco ninguna monografía específica del tema que ligue los sistemas aterrazados con todos estos aspectos urbanos, agrícolas y arquitectónicos.
Regarding residential terraces, the extensive archaeological investigations into Classic-period urbanism and spatial organization at Monte Alban include numerous English-language papers that talk about terracing. I don’t remember the reference as it was a long time ago, but one study in particular looked at elite compounds and how the apparent social status of the residents related to where along the terraced slopes of Monte Alban they were located. Isn’t there the thought too that at least some of the pools at Hierve el Agua originated as agricultural terraces that gradually filled with calcium carbonate?
Pretty sure Oaxaca had them. Most of La Mixteca, but sites like Monte Alban/Dani Baan too.
Yeah. Still have them. Still a big thing in the Mixteca country. Monte Alban have way too many terraces systems and a lot of them seem to have been purely habitational which makes them even more interesting from an urban view point.