Lane Fargher Navarro | Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Avanzados del IPN (original) (raw)

Papers by Lane Fargher Navarro

Landscape journal, May 1, 2024

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

The impact of ancient urban occupations on sustainability has recently become a topic of interest... more The impact of ancient urban occupations on sustainability has recently become a topic of interest for archaeologists as well as many other scholars. Much of this archaeological research has focused on documenting the longevity of ancient cities and elucidating the social and economic strategies employed at the urban and regional scales to promote urban sustainability. In this article, we add to this discussion by addressing the issue of sustainability by considering the impact of environmental legacies left by ancient cities after their abandonment. Using a series of cases from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica [OMYK (Coba), Kiuic, Lagunas de Yalahau, and Tlaxcallan], we show through ethnoecological and historical ecological research that in some cases pre-Hispanic people, living in urban zones, affected “intermediate” disturbances that increased biodiversity, biomass, and sustainability by creating second natures that have endured for centuries.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2018

Merida is the largest urban center in the Mexican State of Yucatan. Here domestic sewage is depos... more Merida is the largest urban center in the Mexican State of Yucatan. Here domestic sewage is deposited in poorly built septic tanks and is not adequately treated. Because of contamination from such waste, water from the top 20 m of the aquifer is unsuitable for human consumption. Given this situation and because children are highly vulnerable to environmental pollution, including exposure to toxic trace elements, this study focused on evaluating the exposure of children to arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), and mercury (Hg) in water. It also evaluated the relationship between the levels of these elements in water and their concentrations in urine and blood. Among the 33 children monitored in the study, arsenic surpassed WHO limits for blood in 37% of the cases, which could result from the ingestion of poultry contaminated with organoarsenic compounds. In the case of WHO limits for Mercury, 65% of the water samples analyzed, 28% of urine samples, and 12% of blood samples exceeded them. Mercury exposure was correlated with biological sex, some lifestyle factors, and the zone in Merida in which children live. These data suggest that the levels of some toxic metals in children may be affected by water source, socioeconomic factors, and individual behavior.

Groundwater, 2021

High surface water-groundwater connectivity characterizes watersheds underlain by karsts, increas... more High surface water-groundwater connectivity characterizes watersheds underlain by karsts, increasing contaminant transport risks. However, karsts are highly complex, making research necessary to understand the transport of contaminants from the surface, through the aquifer, to discharge areas. In Yucatan, the lack of waste water treatment raises the risk of groundwater contamination. We monitored stable isotopes (δ 18 O-NO 3 and δ 15 N-NO 3), cadmium, and lead to document waste water contamination and transport during the rainy and dry seasons, using water samples collected along the Ring of Cenotes during each season. Specific conductance and pH showed no consistent seasonality, with conductance ranging from 0.5 to 55 mS/cm and pH ranging from 6.6 to 8.6 for most samples. Nitrate concentrations in the cenotes averaged 205 ± 260 μM and no seasonal pattern was observed. Cd and Pb concentrations were 0.1 to 37.9 μg/L and 0.2 to 243.2 μg/L, respectively. Nitrate stable isotope values were 2.6 to 27.2‰ for δ 18 O and 1.2 to 20.7‰ for δ 15 N. The statistical relationship between δ 15 N and δ 18 O, in dry season samples, indicated that denitrification was occurring. A scale measure for waste water recognition showed: (1) high variability among sites probably related with dry/rainy seasons and/or diverse anthropogenic activities; and (2) specific water quality variables that contribute to contamination at each site during each season. Importantly, our analyses indicate that in the area surrounding the Ring of Cenotes, waste water exhibits spatial and temporal patterns related to complex transport and dilution processes, as is the case in karsts in general.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022

Applications of energy dispersive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF; Olympus Vanta M Series VMR) ... more Applications of energy dispersive portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF; Olympus Vanta M Series VMR) for the chemical analysis of ceramic fabrics are gaining importance for archaeology. In addition to the broad accessibility of the instruments and their ability to gain first-look chemical data without destroying archaeological samples, the ability to bring the instrument to the field may be the only option for researchers working internationally. Through a systematic evaluation of quality control measures applied to multiple standard and inhouse reference materials, we conclude that the pXRF employed in this study can precisely and accurately quantify many elements, some of which are not reported or possess high detection limits as measured by other instruments, including neutron activation analysis (NAA). We also demonstrate that analyzing ceramics in different statesintact sherds, homogenized powders, or pressed planchetsproduce internally consistent results within categories but yield different results across sample preparation techniques. Finally, we re-analyze an archaeological sample of Coarse Orange jars from the Classic period Tuxtla Mountains, Veracruz, Mexico previously studied through petrography and NAA (Stoner, 2013; Stoner et al., 2008). Analyses of samples processed into homogenized powders yield the most accurate and precise results, rivaling the analytical capabilities of NAA for characterizing this particular sample of ceramics. Analysis of intact sherds and pressed planchets yields sufficient results to reproduce the main compositional groups identified through prior NAA, but loses some detail necessary to separate subgroups.

Current Anthropology, 2021

We demonstrate that good government, similar to modern liberal democracies, emerged apart from We... more We demonstrate that good government, similar to modern liberal democracies, emerged apart from Western history or influence. This finding is counter to the conventional understanding that democratic state building is an expression of Western-inspired modernity. Yet, we argue, irrespective of cultural context or time period, good government policies and practices will be instituted when revenues that underpin governance are jointly produced, as predicted by collective action theory. We also find that good government will be relatively weakly expressed when private wealth plays an uninhibited role in political agency and when leaders have direct, discretionary control over fiscal economy. These research findings, derived from an extensive comparative study of past societies, provide theoretical support for scholars who argue that contemporary democracies are threatened by economic and political forces that undercut the fiscal foundations of good government while strengthening the link between concentrated private wealth and the political process.

Arqueología Mexicana, 2016

Latin American Antiquity, 2020

In premodern economic systems where the social embedding of exchange provided actors with the abi... more In premodern economic systems where the social embedding of exchange provided actors with the ability to control or monopolize trade, including the goods that enter and leave a marketplace, “restricted markets” formed. These markets produced external revenues that could be used to achieve political goals. Conversely, commercialized systems required investment in public goods that incentivize the development of market cooperation and “open markets,” where buyers and sellers from across social sectors and diverse communities could engage in exchange as economic equals within marketplaces. In this article, we compare market development at the Late Postclassic sites of Chetumal, Belize, and Tlaxcallan, Mexico. We identified a restricted market at Chetumal, using the distribution of exotic goods, particularly militarily and ritually charged obsidian projectile points; in contrast, an open market was built at Tlaxcallan. Collective action theory provides a useful framework to understand t...

Frontiers in Political Science, 2022

For nearly 200 years, Western social science has argued that good government, embodied in democra... more For nearly 200 years, Western social science has argued that good government, embodied in democracy, originated exclusively in Western Europe and was introduced to the rest of the world. This Eurocentric vision has profoundly shaped social science's approach to the non-Western World (and pre-modern Europe). Importantly, distinct theories (e.g., Oriental Despotism, Substantivism, etc.) were developed to address premodern state-building in Asia, the Near East, Africa, and the Americas because “normal approaches” could not be applied in these areas. Regardless of the approach and the geographical area, Europe inevitably appears at the pinnacle of social evolutionary change. However, recently, Eurocentric theories have been subject to reevaluation. In this paper, we pursue that critical agenda through a comparative study of demokratia's original formulation and ask: would a 5th century B.C.E. Athenian recognize democratic attributes in 15th century C.E. Tlaxcallan, Mexico? We an...

Environmental Conservation, Oct 21, 2020

Frontiers in Political Science, 2020

We have found that collective action theory, as developed by Margaret Levi and others, provides a... more We have found that collective action theory, as developed by Margaret Levi and others, provides a new direction for the study of growth and decline of premodern states. By following this lead, we challenge the traditional consensus that despotic rule and relations characterized most premodern states, demonstrating instead a state-building process in which fiscal economies of joint production fostered the implementation of good government such as accountable leadership and public goods. In this paper we focus attention on causes and consequences of state decline, highlighting the decline pattern found in societies where there had been good government. Our comparative investigation reveals that while regimes providing good government policies and practices were highly regarded by citizens and brought benefits to them, they were not always enduring over time and regime decline was frequently followed by serious demographic and economic consequences. While causes of decline were varied, we describe and comment on four well-documented examples in which primary causality can be traced to a principal leadership that inexplicably abandoned core principles of state-building that were foundational to these polities, while also ignoring their expected roles as effective leaders and moral exemplars.

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2020

We pose that Agroecology, which is already a hybrid science, is further overcoming disciplinary i... more We pose that Agroecology, which is already a hybrid science, is further overcoming disciplinary isolation and stagnation through explicit processes of interdisciplinary recombination, in what might be termed "second generation hybridization". We refer to the intellectual contact zone of Agroecologymainly with Cultural Geography, Historical Ecology, Archeology, Ecological Anthropology, and Ethnoecologyas "Historical Agroecology". We discuss the following five theoretical methodological foundations of our proposal toward an Historical Agroecology: (1) regional agroecological histories, (2) agroecological landscapes as palimpsests: human-mediated disturbances and their cumulative effects, (3) alpha and beta as agrobiodiversity on the table: manifestations of human niche construction, (4) agroecological ethos as landscapes of knowledge, and (5) infrapolitics and collective action as other forms of agroecological resistance aside from social movements. We illustrate these points through case studies based on our research in peasant communities of the Maya lowlands in the Mexican states of Yucatan, Chiapas, and Campeche. We conclude by reflecting on the need to further develop historical agroecological perspectives in those regions with agricultural systems that have resulted from profound diachronic legacies that are spatially rooted in broad geographical areas.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2017

as a vector of exposure in children. Also, the factor analysis shows chronic exposure in the case... more as a vector of exposure in children. Also, the factor analysis shows chronic exposure in the case of arsenic, as well as an ongoing detoxification process through urine in the case of mercury. Further studies should be done in order to determine other potential metal exposure pathways among children. Keywords Metals • Children • Water • Blood • Urine • Cultural patterns Metals like As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb among others, are pollutants of growing concern worldwide because of their potential toxicity. They are ubiquitous in all environments and matrices; therefore, exposure to them may be high and constant (Yonghua 2013; ME 2007). Children are especially susceptible to exposure because of their high metabolism, body weight, food/water intake, play, and sanitary practices (EPA 2002). Importantly, mainly (but not solely) arsenic (As) as As 3+ , chromium (Cr) as Cr 6+ , and mercury (Hg) as mehtylmercury could be potentially toxic for children, but commonly the total concentration of the element in different body matrices is used as the recommended value worldwide (

Archaeometry, 2017

Chemical characterization reveals intra-source variation in obsidian from the Paredón source area... more Chemical characterization reveals intra-source variation in obsidian from the Paredón source area in Puebla and Hidalgo, Mexico. Two chemical sub-sources of obsidian from Paredón are spatially discrete and cannot be distinguished by visual characteristics. To facilitate future investigations of the prehistoric exploitation of these sub-sources, an inter-laboratory comparison of elemental concentrations is presented based on neutron activation analysis and several XRF instruments.

Journal of Anthropological Research, 2009

Anthropological approaches to understanding regional household economic strategies in complex soc... more Anthropological approaches to understanding regional household economic strategies in complex societies have been poorly theorized and modeled. This paper contributes to theoretical development in this area by describing a model based on intensification and diversification. Then, the model is evaluated using systematic archaeological, historical, and ethnographic data from five premodern/early modern states (Mesoamerica, England, Mediterranean Europe, China, and Thailand). The results indicate that peasant households made decisions regarding agricultural intensification and craft specialization that match theoretical expectations based on a rational-choice approach. Cross-culturally, the outcome of these choices has been the development of a spatial division of labor with agricultural intensification in areas of prime arable land and a mix of extensive agriculture and craft specialization in marginal areas, under specific demand conditions. This model provides an alternative to the traditional approaches of neoevolutionism and the Asiatic mode of production (e.g., Marx, Polanyi, Sahlins).

Latin American Antiquity, 2015

Tututepec was a regional capital that dominated much of southern Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Late ... more Tututepec was a regional capital that dominated much of southern Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Late Postclassic period (A.D. 1100-1522). This article synthesizes the results of compositional (neutron activation and petrography), stylistic, and iconographic analyses of pottery from commoner household excavations at Tututepec to address questions concerning ceramic production and distribution and also to shed light on aspects of political economy and domestic ritual at the capital. The study focuses primarily on Mixteca-Puebla polychromes, painted serving vessels bearing complex decorative motifs. Our compositional analyses, interpreted in light of the bedrock geology of the region, indicate that commoners obtained at least six to ten distinct varieties of pottery made from raw materials available locally within greater Tututepec. We argue that households probably acquired pottery through a central marketplace at the capital. In addition, our study demonstrates that commoners had regular...

Current Anthropology, 2015

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact

Antiquity, 2011

Arguing from the overall settlement plan and the form of buildings, the authors present a persuas... more Arguing from the overall settlement plan and the form of buildings, the authors present a persuasive case that the Late Postclassic city of Tlaxcallan and its near neighbour Tizatlan constitute the central elements of a republican state. This is an unusual political prescription, not only in Mesoamerica but further afield.

Fundamental Issues in Archaeology, 2008

Latin American Antiquity, 2007

This paper presents the results of a recent petrographic study of Monte Albán grayware pottery. U... more This paper presents the results of a recent petrographic study of Monte Albán grayware pottery. Using INEGI bedrock maps, optical mineralogy, and sedimentary petrology techniques, I demonstrate that the organization of gray-ware production changed greatly through time at Monte Albán. During the Late-Terminal Formative period (Monte Albán I-II), the majority of the gray wares consumed at Monte Albán were probably imported to this hilltop center from some distance. Furthermore, I found the paste composition of this pottery was highly variable, suggesting that many small-scale part-time specialists were engaged in gray-ware production at this time. With the transition to the Classic period (Monte Albán III-IV), the organization of gray-ware production may have changed dramatically and nearly all of the gray wares recovered from Monte Albán were probably produced at this hilltop center. At the same time, we see extensive evidence of specialized gray-ware production at Monte Albán from b...

Landscape journal, May 1, 2024

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2018

Groundwater, 2021

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022

Current Anthropology, 2021

Arqueología Mexicana, 2016

Latin American Antiquity, 2020

Frontiers in Political Science, 2022

Environmental Conservation, Oct 21, 2020

Frontiers in Political Science, 2020

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 2020

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2017

Archaeometry, 2017

Journal of Anthropological Research, 2009

Latin American Antiquity, 2015

Current Anthropology, 2015

Antiquity, 2011

Fundamental Issues in Archaeology, 2008

Latin American Antiquity, 2007

Index 397 1.4. Relative interconnectedness of Mixteca Alta and Valley of Oaxaca regions 2.1. View... more Index 397 1.4. Relative interconnectedness of Mixteca Alta and Valley of Oaxaca regions 2.1. View of the Main Plaza of Monte Albán 45 2.2. The carved-stone monuments from Building L-sub 2.3. Plan: eastern half of Río Viejo, Mound 1 and Mound 9, Structure 4 2.4. Retaining wall of an adobe platform on the acropolis at Río Viejo 3.1. Forms of built space associated with specific social institutions and strategies 3.2. Ceramic model: burial procession with the dead and pallbearers 65 3.3. Ceramic model: simplified guachimontón public architecture 3.4. Ceramic model: ballcourt with ballgame in progress 3.5. Map: Tequila valleys, Jalisco, with sites by site-size hierarchy FIGURES x 3.6. Map: large residential groups, shaft tombs, and guachimontones 75 4.1. Central valleys of Jalisco, showing settlement patterns for the Postclassic 4.2. Postclassic settlement tiers, based on site size 4.3. Santa María architectural settlement clusters 4.4. Three sections of Santa María, residential groups: highest point of site 95 4.5. Three sections of Santa María, residential groups: hill 4.6. Three sections of Santa María, residential groups: piedmont 4.7. Late Postclassic ceramic diagnostic forms 5.1. South-central Veracruz: selected sites and regions 5.2. The secondary center of La Mixtequilla 5.3. Summary of facings of SPPGs and Long Plaza Plans 5.4. Mixtequilla survey: SPPG variants 6.1. Merchants' feather merchandise 6.2. Aztec tribute demands in quetzal feathers 6.3. Aztec tribute demands in quetzal-feathered devices 7.1. Select archaeological sites, eastern periphery of the Maya lowlands 7.2. Civic centers: Xunantunich, Actuncan, and Buenavista del Cayo, Belize 7.3. Obsidian-to-sherd ratio over time in elite and commoner contexts 8.1. The Småland Plateau 8.2. Sweden, major regions and the "small lands" of Småland 8.3. Four study blocks with varying proximity to Visingsö Island FIGURES xi 8.4. Skärstad-Ölmstad Valley: changing landscape use, Iron Age to Medieval period 202 9.1. Approximate location of kingdom of Bunyoro, nineteenth century 209 10.1. Archaeological sites in northern and southern Mesopotamia 10.2. Locations of Indus civilization sites 232 11.1. Floor plan and its graph 242 11.2a. Walangama pil gē, built around 1940 246 11.2b. Floor plan of typical Walangama pil gē 247 11.3a. Walangama California-style house, built in 2011 250 11.3b. Floor plan of typical California-style house 251 11.4. Walangama two-story house under construction in 2013 256 12.1. Relationship between network strategy and natural disasters 263 13.1. Time from first settled agricultural villages to large villages 276 13.2. Village formation and state development in eight world areas where states ultimately developed 277 13.3. Sequence from first sedentary villages to more nucleated centers 278 13.4. Size of largest cities in early states 279 13.5. Internal and external sources of funds 284 13.6. Model of collective action 285 13.7. Relationship between population size, hierarchical complexity, and social capital/ collective action 287 13.8. Relationship between population size and increasing complexity for collective and autocratic organization 288 15.1. Correlation plots for corporate power: public goods and control of principals 319 TABLES xiv 12.3b. Predictors of external warfare 265 13.1. Human behavior: basic principles 13.2. Theoretical frames on the preindustrial past 13.3. Organizational thresholds of human groups 13.4. Variation in modes of finance and leadership 15.1. Corporate power variables 15.2. Degree of horizontal power-sharing codes

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Systems of craft production and exchange in Mesoamerica are often correlated with the socio-polit... more Systems of craft production and exchange in Mesoamerica are often correlated with the socio-political circumstances in which they formed. In this paper we compare access to lithic items including prismatic blades, unidirectional blade cores, blade production debitage, and projectile points among households at Late Postclassic Tlaxcallan, located in Central Mexico. Specifically, we investigate the organization of prismatic blade production and test if elites incorporated this industry into their political economy, as has been noted at some pre-Hispanic cities in Central Mexico and further abroad. We specifically examine what households produced these goods, and compare access to the finished products, including the accessibility of non-local raw materials used in their production. Two data sets are examined: the first is a collection of prismatic blades and blade cores recovered from five households and one public context. Access to projectile points are then compared among these contexts to further test the degree of market exchange in the distribution of lithic goods, as has been suggested by ethnohistoric accounts.