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This paper has two main goals. One is to introduce a type of "headless" (or "antecedentless") relative clause that presents a gap strategy and that has not been sufficiently discussed in the typological literature. The other is to show that this type of headless relative clause with a gap is a characteristic trait of Mesoamerican languages, since it exists in many languages of the Mesoamerican linguistic area as an important constructional option in their relativization syntax, independently of the genetic relationships of the language in question. Two types of headless relative clauses are well known to date: one involving a relativization strategy with a relative pronoun (e.g., I wore what you asked me to wear) and another with a light head, introduced by Citko (2004. On headed, headless, and light-headed relatives. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 22. 95–126), somewhat comparable to I wore the one that you asked me to wear. The third type of headless relative clause discussed here presents a gap (i.e., there is no manifestation of the relativized term in the relative clause). It would be equivalent to saying 'I wore you asked me to wear'. The phenomenon we study here is interesting both from a typological and areal point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study evaluates a focal osteolytic lesion in the right sulcus sinus transversi of an isolated os occipitale. The os occipitale is from a juvenile from the Cueva de Sangre at the Classic Period (250−900 CE) site of Dos Pilas, Guatemala The lesion was examined macroscopically, microscopically, and radiographically. The oval lesion has a well-circumscribed margin, endocranial origin, and involves cortical destruction of the inner and outer tables. Subperiosteal bone reaction around the lesion is present on the ectocranial surface. Skeletal evidence of increased vascularity, diploë expansion, and perimortem fracture near the lesion are not observed. The lesion appears to reflect a response to the presence of an expansile process that has caused pressure erosion. The anatomical location of the lesion and the endocranial origin suggest a probable vascular anomaly, such as a vascular malformation. This case study represents one of the few bioarchaeological evaluations of probable vascular anomaly in a juvenile. As such, it expands our knowledge about vascular anomalies in the past and provides a comparative and core reference for guiding future paleopathological investigations on cranial osteolytic lesions. The skeletal assemblage is commingled and fragmentary preventing the assessment of the distribution of lesions across the skeleton. Further scrutiny of bioarchaeological collections is needed to better understand the distribution of vascular anomalies in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For thousands of years, mortar-based materials — including bedding mortars, plaster floors, internal wall plasters, external wall renders and stuccos, and concrete — have been key construction materials in many cultures throughout the world. This paper gives an overview and examples of the use and development of mortar-based materials in cultures across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Mesoamerica, prior to the development of hydraulic cements in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ceratozamia is a diverse genus of cycads distributed from Mexico to Honduras. Here, a new species of Ceratozamia (Zamiaceae, Cycadales) from the southeast of Mexico is described and illustrated. It was previously misidentified as C. subroseophylla because of the lack of reproductive structures in the specimens from Tabasco. This work is based on phenological monitoring carried out in a karst limestone locality in Tabasco. The lifespan of pollen and ovulate strobili and their morphological changes throughout development are described. The collections of this new species were compared with specimens of all Ceratozamia species; however, the morphological comparison was focused on the most geographically proximate and morphologically similar species to this new taxon. To evaluate the circumscription of this species, we used geographic, morphological and DNA barcoding criteria. On this basis, we propose a new species of Ceratozamia for Mexico and provide notes on its reproductive phenology. The reproductive structures are the primary resource for its recognition and identification. A taxonomic key for the similar morphological species and all species that occur in Tabasco is presented along with habitat characterisation and a conservation status for C. gigantea. This species, whose distribution is restricted to a small geographic area, increases the diversity of Ceratozamia in Tabasco to three species and affirms the importance of limestone karst as areas for speciation and endemism. During the phenological monitoring, pollinator insects were captured on ovulate strobili at receptivity, observations that have been scarcely documented during this phenophase in Ceratozamia, highlighting the relevance of monitoring reproductive phenological patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the middle of the 5th century AD, the territory of the archaeological site of Palenque (Chiapas, Mexico) was the capital of the Baakal state, the city of Lakamha’. A large number of monumental texts have been discovered here, which are of particular interest for the study of the organization and functioning of the royal court of the ancient Maya. The main objective of this work was to examine in detail the royal lists preserved in the monumental texts in order to reconstruct the kinship ties between the Palenque rulers and to reveal the peculiarities of the local political system. One of the main features to be considered about these written sources is a retrospective character, which in theory could give the rulers who created them wide opportunities for manipulation. The lack of detailed information about the rulers of the 5th-7th centuries, which is mainly limited to the dates of accession and death, is no less difficult. Although in the written tradition the royal dynasty is presented as a continuous one, the analysis of the texts reveals several lineages. Study also shows certain peculiarities of the system of power transmission in Baakal. In general, ancient Maya used patrilineal tradition, but the history of Palenque records cases different from this pattern. The throne there was once occupied by a woman, other cases show successive rule of several siblings. These data reveal the flexibility of the political system of the ancient Maya.

Drought stress is widely recognized as a highly detrimental abiotic stress factor that significantly impacts crop growth, development, and agricultural productivity. In response to external stimuli, plants activate various mechanisms to enhance their resistance or tolerance to abiotic stress. The common bean, a most important legume according to the FAO, serves as a staple food for millions of people worldwide, due to its rich protein, carbohydrate, and fiber content, concurrently, and water scarcity is the main factor limiting common bean production. The process of domestication and on-farm conservation has facilitated the development of genotypes with varying degrees of drought stress resistance. Consequently, using landraces as biological material in research can lead to the identification of variants with superior resistance qualities to abiotic stress factors, which can be effectively integrated into breeding programs. The central scope of this research was to find out if different geographic origins of common bean genotypes can determine distinct responses at various levels. Hence, several analyses were carried out to investigate responses to water scarcity in three common bean genotypes, M-2087 (from the Mesoamerican gene pool), A-1988 (from the Andean gene pool) and Lechinta, known for its high drought stress resistance. Plants were subjected to different water regimes, followed by optical assessment of the anatomical structure of the hypocotyl and epicotyl in each group; furthermore, the morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters and molecular data (quantification of the relative expression of the thirteen genes) were assessed. The three experimental variants displayed distinct responses when subjected to 12 days of water stress. In general, the Lechinta genotype demonstrated the highest adaptability and drought resistance. The M-2087 landrace, originating from the Mesoamerican geographic basin, showed a lower resistance to water stress, compared to the A-1988 landrace, from the Andean basin. The achieved results can be used to scale up future research about the drought resistance of plants, analyzing more common bean landraces with distinct geographic origins (Mesoamerican/Andean), which can then be used in breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Sierra de Santa Marta (Veracruz, Mexico) a process of maldevelopment/sustained underdevelopment has prevailed that has deteriorated the socio-natural environment. Thus, the objective is to find alternatives that improve their socio-territorial situation (ecological, socioeconomic and landscape). From a transdisciplinary methodology -Geography, Anthropology and Environmental History- this research has identified and analysed four non-governmental natural resource management projects that, with a holistic hydrographic basin approach, promote integrally sustainable socioecological practices of socio-environmental governance. These eco-cultural experiences contribute to reforesting the territory and reducing poverty, generating progress towards human development of the indigenous peasant communities of Mesoamerica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Early colonial documents from central Mesoamerica detail raising and planting of European livestock and crops alongside native ones. The extent to which Indigenous people, especially of the rural commoner class, consumed newly introduced foods is less known. This gap in knowledge is addressed through stable isotope analysis and comparison to published archaeological botanical, human, and faunal data. Materials and Methods: Stable isotope analysis of bone collagen and bioapatite is applied to 74 skeletal samples of Indigenous human remains representing Colonial period individuals from El Japón—a farming hamlet in the Xochimilco area—to provide insight into long‐term individual dietary practices in the context of a rapidly transforming Mesoamerican world. Results: Carbon isotope ratios in collagen (δ13Ccollagen) average −8.10/00 VPDB (SD 0.55), while δ15N averages 8.90/00 AIR (SD 0.50). δ13Cbioapatite averages −2.90/00 VPDB (SD 0.60). Modest increase in carbon isotopic diversity is observed among more recent males from El Japón when compared to earlier males and females. Discussion: Based on the isotopic results, it is estimated that the individuals of El Japón consumed maize or other C4 plants as a central source of carbohydrates. Dietary protein was largely supplied through domestic maize‐fed fauna but potentially supplemented by wild terrestrial and aquatic fauna and fowl. Similarity in skeletal isotopic composition between precontact Mesoamericans from other sites and El Japón individuals of both earlier and later stratigraphy is interpreted as continuity in local diets and foodways despite potentially available European alternatives. Colonial taxation demands on preexisting agricultural regimes may have incentivized maize production, thus indirectly contributing to the maize‐centered aspect of local foodways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research conducted since 2003 in and around the regional center of Tres Zapotes, Veracruz documents the importance of aquatic resources and transportation routes for subsistence and settlement over more than two millennia. Systematic archaeological survey over more than 400 km2 in the surrounding Eastern Lower Papaloapan Basin details a persistent focus of major settlements on streams and other bodies of water that would have provided an abundance of food and opportunities for water-born transport. Excavations at Tres Zapotes further indicate that exploitation of aquatic fauna was a significant component of a mixed subsistence strategy for the Olmec and Epi-Olmec inhabitants of the site, who obtained fish, turtles, and waterfowl from streams, lakes, estuaries and coastal marine environments over a range extending no less than 20 km from the center. Artifact inventories and landscape features further suggest an associated subsistence technology that included weighted nets and retention ponds in seasonally flooded areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article interrogates an archaeological application of the Indigenous concept of place-thought, defined by Vanessa Watts as an "understanding of the world via a physical embodiment" through studying corporeal animal forms. This latter encompasses the osteological traces of animal matter (sacrificed animals and prepared body parts) that, because of their material vitalities, provide an opportune site of engagement to retrieve ancient interpersonal relationships. Over 100 corporeal animal forms from Burials 2 and 6 are interpreted as agentive persons who brought into being the Moon Pyramid as an altepetl (water mountain) of Teotihuacan. The altepetl is a seminal place-thought in Mesoamerica intimately tied with sovereignty. The author argues that potentate apex predators (eagles, wolves, jaguars, pumas, and rattlesnakes) became part of Teotihuaccan's community through their captive management and were buried alive to sustain the altepetl as master guardians. A zooarchaeological and isotopic investigation of corporeal animal forms provided lurid details of human–predator interactions, including differential access to the animals, esoteric knowledge about their personhood, and even deceit of that information. She concludes that providing a contextually and historically contingent, data-driven, and inter-personally centered reconstruction of ancient place-thought, though admittedly partial and from a specific perspective, should be attainable given the enhanced methods in archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Determine the geographic place of origin and maternal lineage of prehistoric human skeletal remains discovered in Puyil Cave, Tabasco State, Mexico, located in a region currently populated by Olmec, Zoque and Maya populations. Materials and Methods: All specimens were radiocarbon (14C) dated (beta analytic), had dental modifications classified, and had an analysis of 13 homologous reference points conducted to evaluate artificial cranial deformation (ACD). Following DNA purification, hypervariable region I (HVR‐1) of the mitogenome was amplified and Sanger sequenced. Finally, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) was performed for total DNA. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants and haplogroups were determined using BioEdit 7.2 and IGV software and confirmed with MITOMASTER and WebHome softwares. Results: Radiocarbon dating (14C) demonstrated that the inhabitants of Puyil Cave lived during the Archaic and Classic Periods and displayed tabular oblique and tabular mimetic ACD. These pre‐Hispanic remains exhibited five mtDNA lineages: A, A2, C1, C1c and D4. Network analysis revealed a close genetic affinity between pre‐Hispanic Puyil Cave inhabitants and contemporary Maya subpopulations from Mexico and Guatemala, as well as individuals from Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and China. Conclusions: Our results elucidate the dispersal of pre‐Hispanic Olmec and Maya ancestors and suggest that ACD practices are closely related to Olmec and Maya practices. Additionally, we conclude that ACD has likely been practiced in the region since the Middle‐Archaic Period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The names Coccoloba caracasana, C. caracasana f. glabra, C. cozumelensis, C. floribunda, C. humboldtii var. longipedicellata, and Campderia mexicana are lectotypified, and seventeen specimens with mature fruits are proposed as epitypes to facilitate the recognition and delimitation of Coccoloba species distributed in Mexico and Central America. The presence of fruits in these specimens allowed us to recognize and reinstate the names Coccoloba lapathifolia, C. euvelutina, and C. matudae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El modo de habitar maya ofrece una mirada diferente de ser y de estar en el mundo. Expresa, a través de sus particularidades en el uso del espacio y su concepción, una relación dialéctica entre los universos natural y edificado, donde lo uno y lo otro, reposan sobre la tierra, se rigen por los ciclos marcados por los astros, tienen vida y son sagrados. La trascendencia de esta relación ancestral, sigue vigente y cobra importancia en el mundo contemporáneo por su antagonismo con la visión imperante que separa y marca límites muy claros entre dichos universos.

Reivindico en mi práctica artística elementos plásticos formales de los Amoxtli o códices precolombinos, como la utilización de papel Amate y los colores brillantes. Además, profundizo en la mitología y en las crónicas etnográficas que plasman concepciones diversas al género binario, así como prácticas sexuales mucho más abiertas que las que se impusieron tras la evangelización de los pueblos originarios. En estas sociedades, se reconocían más de dos géneros, desde una concepción dual y fluida que aparece en toda mi obra metafóricamente, a partir de elementos orgánicos y simbólicos que hacen alusión a la vida (sexualidad) y a la muerte. Mis personajes tienden a ser personas que voy conociendo en mi vida, y algunas veces son autobiográficas. Encarnan arquetípicamente cada una de estas deidades/energías/númenes: elles/nosotres, somos les deidades. Mujeres, compañeres de la cotidianidad, personajes numinoses, que gozan abiertamente. Son, en su mayoría, disidentes, y crean rupturas de todo tipo, se reapropian de esos espacios que les/nos han sido negados: gozan, gritan y se complacen de forma consensuada. Se sumergen en el éxtasis de sus fluidos, en la vida deleitosa del tlalticpac: personas con diversidad funcional, con cuerpos desbordantes, raquíticos, quimeras, personas trans, cyborgs, putas, insurrectas, rebeldes, artistas, migrantes, exiliades, tercermundistas, maricas, con pelos, estrías, imperfecciones en la piel, menstruantes, prietes, negres, racializades. Todes a quienes el sistema colonial-patriarcal quiere fuera de los espacios, escondides en las penumbras. A quienes no se quiere ver, quienes dan asco, les imperfectes, les invisibles. Cuerpos a los que se nos obliga a permanecer invisibles, inexistentes, escatológicos, que defecan mientras experimentan placer. Cuerpos no hegemónicos, no binarios, zoomórficos, que critican y desbaratan con su existencia las identidades impuestas, cuerpos que desestabilizan, que cuestionan, que gozan el dolor y el placer. La serie titulada Zotz, Xochiquetzal y el origen de la menstruación, comenzó en el año 2015, y ha sido expuesta en diversas muestras y espacios (Galería Art Space Mexico, Swinton & Grant Gallery, Projektraum 404, Schwules Museum, Habitación, Bruja soy, mujer espíritu, en el Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Huarte, etc) y publicada en revistas (KALTBLUT magazine, POUSTA, etc.) además de formar parte de la plataforma digital del Museo Experimental El Eco. Se centra en la representación de un mito prehispánico relacionado con el origen de la menstruación. Xochiquetzal es una energía/deidad del placer sexual, de las flores, de las pintoras, el arte y las trabajadoras sexuales, a quien rendían culto y ofrendas las mujeres para propiciar un aborto. El mito, que explica el origen de la menstruación, cuenta que, mientras dormía, el murciélago Zotz le muerde la vulva, y Xochiquetzal comienza a sangrar. Otro mito narra que el murciélago fue creado por la simiente que Quetzalcóatl arrojó sobre una piedra después de masturbarse. Y que las flores, principalmente las Cempasúchil, flores que se usan para decorar y ofrendar el día de los muertos en México, fueron creadas por Mictlantecuhtli, deidad/energía de la muerte, cuando Zotz, el murciélago, llevó el pedacito que arrancó de la vulva de Xochiquetzal al inframundo. En la representación que hago de esta serie de mitos, intento darle un matiz sadomasoquista, donde Xochiquetzal goza del dolor consensuado ocasionado por la mordida de Zotz, que así mismo goza succionando y deleitándose con su menstruación.

Abstract The squash family (Cucurbitaceae) contains some of the most important crops cultivated worldwide and has played an important ecological, economic, and cultural role for millennia. In the American tropics, squashes were among the first cultivated crop species, but little is known about how their domestication unfolded. Here, we employ direct radiocarbon dating and morphological analyses of desiccated cucurbit seeds, rinds, and stems from El Gigante Rockshelter in Honduras to reconstruct human practices of selection and cultivation of Lagenaria siceraria, Cucurbita pepo, and Cucurbita moschata. Direct radiocarbon dating indicates that humans started using Lagenaria and wild Cucurbita starting ~ 10,950 calendar years before present (cal B.P.), primarily as watertight vessels and possibly as cooking and drinking containers. A rind directly dated to 11,150–10,765 cal B.P. represents the oldest known bottle gourd in the Americas. Domesticated C. moschata subsequently appeared ~ 4035 cal B.P., followed by domesticated C. pepo ~ 2190 cal B.P. associated with increasing evidence for their use as food crops. Multivariate statistical analysis of seed size and shape show that the archaeological C. pepo assemblage exhibits significant variability, representing at least three varieties: one similar to present-day zucchini, another like present-day vegetable marrow, and a native cultivar without modern analogs. Our archaeobotanical data supports the hypothesis that Indigenous cucurbit use started in the Early Holocene, and that agricultural complexity during the Late Holocene involved selective breeding that encouraged crop diversification.

La presente investigación, forma parte de un trabajo mucho más amplio, que surge como una inquietud en torno al proceso creativo que implica la menstruación como tema de investigación, como material creativo y parte de la creación artística. A la sangre menstrual a través del tiempo se le han adjudicado una variedad de interpretaciones culturales y tanto connotaciones positivas como negativas, dependiendo de la cultura y el territorio. Si bien en la actualidad continúa siendo tabú evidenciar la sangre menstrual al considerarla un desecho y tildarla de sucia, existen muchísimas artistas e investigadoras que desde hace años han abordado, explorado y plasmado el tema desde distintas perspectivas: política, activismo, emocional, ritual y como forma para reconectar con la ancestralidad. Esta investigación se enfoca además en el estudio de la representación del imaginario precolonial de la cultura maya y nahua en torno a la menstruación y como parte del proceso creativo. A partir del análisis de estas representaciones y ligado a las obras de una serie de artistas, elaboré un tejido que abarca distintas ramas como la antropología, la investigación artística, la arqueología, los feminismos, estudios decoloniales, las sexualidades y cuerpos disidentes.

The squash family (Cucurbitaceae) contains some of the most important crops cultivated worldwide and has played an important ecological, economic, and cultural role for millennia. In the American tropics, squashes were among the first cultivated crop species, but little is known about how their domestication unfolded. Here, we employ direct radiocarbon dating and morphological analyses of desiccated cucurbit seeds, rinds, and stems from El Gigante Rockshelter in Honduras to reconstruct human practices of selection and cultivation of Lagenaria siceraria, Cucurbita pepo, and Cucurbita moschata. Direct radiocarbon dating indicates that humans started using Lagenaria and wild Cucurbita starting ~ 10,950 calendar years before present (cal B.P.), primarily as watertight vessels and possibly as cooking and drinking containers. A rind directly dated to 11,150–10,765 cal B.P. represents the oldest known bottle gourd in the Americas. Domesticated C. moschata subsequently appeared ~ 4035 cal B.P., followed by domesticated C. pepo ~ 2190 cal B.P. associated with increasing evidence for their use as food crops. Multivariate statistical analysis of seed size and shape show that the archaeological C. pepo assemblage exhibits significant variability, representing at least three varieties: one similar to present-day zucchini, another like present-day vegetable marrow, and a native cultivar without modern analogs. Our archaeobotanical data supports the hypothesis that Indigenous cucurbit use started in the Early Holocene, and that agricultural complexity during the Late Holocene involved selective breeding that encouraged crop diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new estimate of the Epiclassic chronological interval (6th to 9th centuries) is proposed for the archaeological site of San José de Los Ranchos, located in Los Altos de Jalisco, near the city of Lagos de Moreno. This site is part of the cultural space of the western Mexico. The date was obtained through an archaeomagnetic analysis of ceramic materials from a cist-type tomb found at old hacienda located in the foothills of the Sierra Alta, next to the valley of the Lagos River. This archaeological site is a settlement of farmers, possibly linked to neighboring sites such as El Cerrito in the town of El Cuarenta; Los Cerritos in Lagos de Moreno and El Cóporo in the neighboring state of Guanajuato. The materials recovered in the tomb, consisting of pottery, shell beads and miniature zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figurines. The new periodization allows us to date the beginning of the Mesoamerican occupation of the Lagos River valley from the 6th century, in addition to dates obtained by previous investigations. In this way, it can be established that the villages in the valley date from the end of the Mesoamerican classic period, with its peak in the epiclassic era and possibly concluding at the beginning of the postclassic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the discovery of ceramic kilns in the archaeological complex of Atzompa in Monte Albán, Oaxaca. These kilns have similar characteristics to those of the ethnographic tradition of Atzompa and it is believed that they were used to produce large gray ceramic pots. An archaeomagnetic study conducted on one of the kilns indicates that it was used after the supposed abandonment of Monte Albán, suggesting that the inhabitants of Atzompa continued to manufacture ceramics. Additionally, evidence of specialization in ceramic production in Atzompa and a permanent relationship between Atzompa and Monte Albán were found. The study was funded by the CONAHCyT CF19-1761 project and UNAMDGAPA PAPIIT IN100224. [Extracted from the article]

This article delves into the reasons behind the Spanish establishment in the region, with a particular focus on the alliances formed with native populations that facilitated the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Through source analysis, the article evaluates the credibility and content of primary sources, particularly The Thirteenth Communication by Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl, to uncover alternative perspectives on historical events. The analysis reveals the emotional narrative and strategic objectives underlying Ixtlilxochitl's account, shedding light on the motivations behind the Texcocan alliance with Spain. Additionally, the article examines the broader geopolitical landscape of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, characterized by internal conflicts, economic interactions, and religious dynamics as well as the personal factor, including the maneuverability in uncertainty and the power dynamics between individuals, having played a crucial role in shaping the outcomes of the conquest. Finally, the article highlights the multifaceted nature of historical causation in shaping colonial legacies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ololiuhqui, the seeds of coatl xoxouhqui (morning glory, Turbina corymbosa), contain a nonhuman life force within them that Central Mexican Nahua specialists have used to diagnose and prognosticate cocoliztli (illness) and help guide cocoxqueh (sick people) back to pactinemiliztli (health). In the seventeenth century, Spanish priest Hernando Ruiz de Alarcón went on a campaign against ololiuhqui and its users that lasted more than two decades. Early in his war against ololiuhqui, the priest became ill, and some Nahuas in his parish viewed his cocoliztli as a result of his contempt toward the seed. This further fueled his rage toward ololiuhqui and drove him to uncover and punish specialists and their clients. After 1617, when the archbishop of Mexico licensed Ruiz de Alarcón to investigate Native "heterodoxy," the zealous priest quickly found that non-Native people were also involved in ololiuhqui networks and seldom wished to comply with his investigations. As a result, well into the 1630s the priest courted the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Mexico with the goal of obtaining jurisdiction over all colonial racial and ethnic categories in New Spain. Ruiz de Alarcón failed to extirpate the relationship Nahuas had with ololiuhqui, and he also failed to become an official member of the Holy Office's networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neotropical physaloid genera Witheringia and Brachistus have long been subject to taxonomic confusion. We obtained tissue from well-documented species of these genera, including multiple accessions from widespread taxa, to generate a molecular systematic framework. We present Bayesian phylogenies based on sequences of one chloroplast (trnL-trnF) and two nuclear loci (ITS and waxy). The major findings are that: 1) Witheringia and Brachistus together form a well-supported monophyletic group, 2) Brachistus is nested within Witheringia, 3) two Mexican endemic species represent the earliest diverging lineages of the clade, 4) several proposed synonyms represent distinct species, and 5) sequenced accessions include several new species awaiting description. The four currently recognized species of Brachistus are transferred to Witheringia, necessitating the new combination Witheringia knappiae, and Athenaea affinis is lectotypified. A list is also provided for names now excluded from Brachistus and recognized as belonging to other genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ant diversity in tropical montane rainforests is globally understudied. This is true for Cusuco National Park (CNP), a cloud forest ecosystem in northwestern Honduras that supports geographically isolated and threatened habitats. The current study presents the first comprehensive ant species checklist for CNP , which is also the first ant checklist for Honduras in over a century. Species records from several projects are also combined and presented. Sampling occurred along an elevational range (mainly between 1170 and 2030 m a.s.l.), with methodologies and intensities varying among projects and dates. Overall, 162 ant species belonging to nine subfamilies and 60 genera are reported from the CNP. Five species are recorded for the first time in Honduras (Pheidole natalie Longino, 2019; Strumigenys cf. calamita; Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972; Solenopsis texana/carolinensis; Pseudomyrmex pallens Mayr, 1870). For the first time, male individuals are reported in Pheidole balatro Longino, 2019. For each species, we provide information on observed habitat preference, elevational range, and sampling technique. Species accumulation curves are provided for each sample technique, representing sampling intensity and community sample coverage. We also provide a key to the ant genera of Honduras to aid future taxonomic efforts in the country. Our research demonstrates that CNP harbours a surprisingly rich diversity of ant species, despite its small area, similar to many other taxa in the park. The information provided here represents baseline information for future work on ants in CNP and other Honduran cloud forests and will help guide research in these otherwise poorly explored yet highly threatened ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Kiekie Polotow & Brescovit, 2018 is a Neotropical genus of Ctenidae, with most of its species occuring in Central America. In this study, we review the systematics of Kiekie and describe five new species and the unknown females of K. barrocolorado Polotow & Brescovit, 2018 and K. garifuna Polotow & Brescovit, 2018, and the unknown male of K. verbena Polotow & Brescovit, 2018. In addition, we described the female of K. montanense which was wrongly assigned as K. griswoldi Polotow & Brescovit, 2018 (both species are sympatric). We provided a modified diagnosis for previously described species based on the morphology of the newly discovered species and in situ photographs of living specimens. We inferred a molecular phylogeny using four nuclear (histone H3, 28S rRNA, 18S rRNA and ITS-2) and three mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I or COI, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) to test the monophyly of the genus and the evolutionary relationships of its species. Lastly, we reconstruct the historical biogeography and map diversity and endemism distributional patterns of the different species. This study increased the number of known species of Kiekie from 13 to 18, and we describe a new genus, Eldivo which is sister lineage of Kiekie. Most of the diversity and endemism of the genus Kiekie is located in the montane ecosystems of Costa Rica followed by the lowland rainforest of the Pacific side (Limon Basin). Kiekie originated in the North America Tropical region, this genus started diversifying in the Late Miocene and spread to Lower Central America and South America. In that region, Kiekie colonized independently several times the montane ecosystems corresponding to periods of uplifting of Talamanca and Central Cordilleras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To produce insights into the nature of butterfly communities in Belize and potential strategies for their conservation, we analyzed a data set of 31,539 occurrences representing 1047 species of butterflies. Most species in Belize are rarely encountered and 23% are known from one or two occurrences. Conversely, a few species (2%) are disproportionately abundant (19% of occurrences). Chao 1 and 1st-order Jackknife species richness estimates indicate a minimum of 101.6 ± 17.5 and 169.7 ± 24.9 additional species (respectively) in Belize. Most of the "missing species" are Lycaenidae, Riodinidae and Hesperiidae, groups that are difficult to identify and which have ecological traits that decrease detectability in the field. Seasonal and geographic weather patterns related to precipitation structure butterfly communities in the country. Species richness (alpha-diversity) is correlated to both average monthly temperature and precipitation for most, but not all families. During the dry season, both species numbers and densities are low, but both increase abruptly with the onset of rains. There are significant beta-diversity community differences between seasons (rainy and dry) as well. Precipitation decreases dramatically from south to north across the country and Chao 1 and rarefication estimates indicate that species richness is highest in southern Belize and declines northward corresponding with regional patterns of precipitation. Likewise, the three southern districts of Belize support significantly different butterfly communities (beta-diversity) than do the three northern districts. Implications for insect conservation: Because climate change will disrupt the status quo as ecological communities respond to changes that influence drought stress, actions that ensure that ecological connectivity is maintained or restored across ecological gradients, especially as reflected by precipitation patterns, will be critical for conserving butterfly and other phytophagous insect communities in Belize as communities respond to climate disruption. We make geographically explicit recommendations for conservation action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the main factors affecting biodiversity worldwide at an alarming rate. In addition to increases in global extreme weather events, melting of polar ice caps, and subsequent sea level rise, climate change might shift the geographic distribution of species. In recent years, interest in understanding the effects of climate change on species distribution has increased, including species which depend greatly on forest cover for survival, such as strictly arboreal primates. Here, we generate a series of species distribution models (SDMs) to evaluate future projections under different climate change scenarios on the distribution of the black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra), an endemic endangered primate species. Using SDMs, we assessed current and future projections of their potential distribution for three Social Economic Paths (SSPs) for the years 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2090. Specifically, we found that precipitation seasonality (BIO15, 30.8%), isothermality (BIO3, 25.4%), and mean diurnal range (BIO2, 19.7.%) are the main factors affecting A. pigra distribution. The future climate change models suggested a decrease in the potential distribution of A. pigra by projected scenarios (from − 1.23 to − 12.66%). The highly suitable area was the most affected above all in the more pessimist scenario most likely related to habitat fragmentation. Our study provides new insights into the potential future distribution and suitable habitats of Alouatta pigra. Such information could be used by local communities, governments, and non-governmental organizations for conservation planning of this primate species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancestral Maya engineered wetland fields and canals in floodplains for plant cultivation and water management. Canals and reservoirs, however, also provide aquatic resources to supplement agriculture. Maya created multi-trophic ecological aquaculture by modifying the waterscape to increase the amounts of foods and useful materials, such as fish, turtles, waterfowl, and reeds. While archaeological and ethnographic investigations across the Maya area explore aquatic constructions, technology, and foodstuffs, they have not focused on aquaculture. In the western Maya lowlands, including the site of Mensabak, Chiapas, Mexico, ancestral Maya modified floodplains around lakes and rivers for farming fish and aquatic resources near their settlements and fields. These extensive modifications for ecological aquaculture enhanced the productivity and resiliency of natural ecosystems. The domesticated waterscapes near the ritually important Mirador Mountain at Mensabak also followed pan-Mesoamerican beliefs in origin mountains that generated water, plants, and fish for humans. Importantly, Maya integrated subsistence is illuminated by research on domesticated landscapes and ecological aquaculture that examines a range of resources rather than just plants. Certainly across Mesoamerica, ecological aquaculture allowed people to intensify production of "farms" of aquatic species, particularly fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site E19 (19:N1W5), near Tlailotlacan, the "Zapotec Barrio" of Teotihuacan, contains evidence of both Tlailotlacan and Michoacan affiliation. To verify and better understand the Michoacan relationship, 22 enamel and 19 bone samples from five E19-affiliated burials were analyzed to determine their oxygen isotope compositions, which provide an indication of an individual's area of residence when that particular tissue was forming. Because prismatic blades and Thin Orange ceramics from Teotihuacan occur widely in the Lakes Region of north central Michoacan we obtained samples from several sites there for comparative purposes. The results show that most of the E19 people had passed their later years in the Patzcuaro Basin of the Lakes Region. Although in E19 the archaeological evidence of this relationship declined over time, the isotopic evidence indicates that Patzcuaro ties continued to the end of E19's occupation. It seems that the people of E19, originally Michoacanos, gradually adopted a core identity as Teotihuacanos while continuing to deploy their Michoacan ancestry during their stays in Michoacan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ANIAV: Revista de Investigación en Artes Visuales is the property of Universidad Politecnica de Valencia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Se realizó revisión bibliográfica de libros (cuatro), artículos científicos (tres) y visitas a un sitio arqueológico (Casa Blanca) y MUNA. Como producto de este proceso se obtuvo datos de representaciones de individuos de la familia Felidae Orden Carnívora, a partir de 13 registros de piezas de cerámica (cinco) como de lítica (ocho). La procedencia de las piezas proviene de seis departamentos (Santa Ana, Ahuachapán, La Libertad, San Salvador, San Vicente y San Miguel). Consultando las diversas fuentes revisadas, siete de los 11 registros constituyen, de acuerdo a los especialistas, jaguares (Panthera onca) y el resto felinos (Felidae: Carnívora). Con respecto a toponimia, se documento cuatro sitios, todos del occidente de El Salvador, cuyos nombres son alusivos a felinos.

Las especies de felinos silvestres en El Salvador han permanecido poco estudiadas y con escasa información. Este estudio aborda esta brecha investigando las cuatro especies de felinos residentes, incluido el mamífero terrestre más grande del país, el puma (Puma concolor), y tres especies de pequeños felinos: ocelote (Leopardus pardalis), tigrillo (Leopardus wiedii) y gato zonto (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) Empleando revisión de literatura, sistemas de información geográfica, entrevistas virtuales con expertos y participación de actores locales, esta investigación es pionera en una comprensión nacional de los félidos de El Salvador. Identifica amenazas y oportunidades para la conservación, y sirve como recurso fundamental para futuros esfuerzos de conservación e investigaciones dedicadas a la preservación de los felinos silvestres. A pesar de las limitaciones inherentes, este estudio marca un paso crucial hacia la protección de las poblaciones de felinos silvestres de El Salvador y sus hábitats.

La conversión del hábitat natural para el desarrollo urbano está restringiendo los rangos de especies de primates que dependen de los ambientes forestales, aumentando su riesgo de extinción. Si bien Panamá respalda la mayor diversidad de primates en Mesoamérica, muchas de sus nueve especies y 13 subespecies son motivo de preocupación para la conservación, incluidas cuatro especies endémicas en Peligro Crítico. Sin embargo, su distribución y estado actual son poco conocidos. Se utilizó más de 15 años de datos de observación de presencia (transectos y conteos de ruta, fototrampeo, y registros de ciudadanos científicos) que representan 2,000 puntos de presencia, 1,415 fueron seleccionados como ubicaciones útiles para desarrollar modelos de distribución para las subespecies de primates en Panamá. Utilizando el software Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt), se creó un conjunto de modelos que utilizan variables climáticas, y también integramos una medida derivada de satélite de la productividad primaria, el Índice de Vegetación de Diferencia Normalizada (NDVI), así como medidas de densidad de población humana, para ver si estos modelos mejorados eran más efectivos. Los modelos funcionaron bien, aunque diferentes variables climáticas predijeron mejor la distribución de diferentes subespecies. La superposición de los mejores modelos de hábitat para cada subespecie nos permitió identificar áreas cruciales para dirigir esfuerzos de conservación en la diversidad de primates en Panamá.

El siguiente artículo de investigación aborda la significativa interpretación de los elementos acuáticos en el contexto del monumento 21 de Chalchuapa (El Salvador), un sitio arqueológico mesoamericano de gran relevancia histórica y cultural. El enfoque central se dirige hacia la veneración de las deidades Chalchiuhtlicue, la diosa del agua que corre, y Tlaloc, el dios de la lluvia. A través de una exhaustiva exploración documental y una profunda revisión de la iconografía y artefactos relacionados, este estudio busca arrojar luz sobre el papel crucial que estas deidades acuáticas desempeñaron en la cosmovisión y las prácticas religiosas de la civilización mesoamericana. Además, se analiza su influencia en la gestión de los recursos hídricos y la comprensión de la relación entre la humanidad y la naturaleza en un entorno arqueológico tan único como Chalchuapa.

Abstract Jade and greenstone objects have been held in high regard by many cultures stemming from their limited geological availability and their unique optical and mechanical properties. Jade and greenstone objects symbolized life, fertility, and eternity to early Mesoamerican people. In recent years, scientific studies on jade and greenstone objects have been performed to establish provenance and usage, identify composition, and verify the presence of a particular material. These studies of jade and greenstone objects are generally divided geographically, with considerable interest in China and Central America. Most studies are focused on objects from one particular archaeological site; however, a few studies have focused on collections from a range of sites. The use of multiple complimentary analytical techniques has been shown to be the most effective method for characterizing and understanding the technical information obtained from cultural heritage objects. In our study, we examine a set of Mesoamerican jade and greenstone objects from the collection at the Dallas Museum of Art using multiple non-destructive techniques, including scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and handheld X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. We briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Lastly, we present the results from our study and discuss them in their archaeological and historical context.

During the Middle Preclassic period (c. 1000-350 BCE), the people of the Maya lowlands transitioned fromamobile horticulturalist to sedentary farming lifestyle, exemplified by permanent houses arranged around patios and rebuilt over generations. Early evidence of this change has been found in northern Belize, in the Belize Valley, and at Ceibal, Guatemala. At Cuello and other sites in northern Belize, mortuary rituals tied to ancestor veneration created inequality from the beginning of sedentary life. There, relatively dense populations facilitated the emergence of competitive sociopolitical strategies. However, Maya communities in different regions adopted different aspects of sedentism at different times and employed different power strategies. Unlike Cuello, Ceibal was founded as a ceremonial center by semi-mobile people. Middle Preclassic ritual practices at Ceibal and in the Belize Valley were associated with more collective leadership. At the end of this period, increased population densities contributed to a shift to more exclusionary rituals and political strategies throughout the lowlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jade and greenstone objects have been held in high regard by many cultures stemming from their limited geological availability and their unique optical and mechanical properties. Jade and greenstone objects symbolized life, fertility, and eternity to early Mesoamerican people. In recent years, scientific studies on jade and greenstone objects have been performed to establish provenance and usage, identify composition, and verify the presence of a particular material. These studies of jade and greenstone objects are generally divided geographically, with considerable interest in China and Central America. Most studies are focused on objects from one particular archaeological site; however, a few studies have focused on collections from a range of sites. The use of multiple complimentary analytical techniques has been shown to be the most effective method for characterizing and understanding the technical information obtained from cultural heritage objects. In our study, we examine a set of Mesoamerican jade and greenstone objects from the collection at the Dallas Museum of Art using multiple non-destructive techniques, including scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and handheld X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. We briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Lastly, we present the results from our study and discuss them in their archaeological and historical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay focuses its attention on Madrid, the Royal Botanical Garden (RBG), and the LatinX presence just as they were all coming into existence in the Spanish and European world. Pursuing a LatinX origin that exceeds humanness, this thought exploration tracks the Mesoamerican dahlia, transplanted to Spain in 1789. Acocoxochitl— what we now know as the dahlia, named after Swedish naturalist Andreas Dahl (1751–1789)—was one of the first plants to arrive at Madrid's RBG when it opened nearly three centuries ago. The flower was tested on, domesticated, and acclimated, making its botanical debut as the dahlia pinnata in 1791. The dahlia is a vector for an unanticipated life form, clueing us in on where the LatinX world-in-process was heading. It offers a glimpse of how the garden and the Latin find themselves arranged and come into being. How LatinX history is blurred—and how LatinX difference has been produced—in Madrid's iconography is disentangled here. The piece weighs in on these considerations: What does it mean to think alongside the dahlia? What might the plant mean to a human whose body has been tampered with; who asymmetrically became one of Carolus Linnaeus's Latin species; who has been "naturally" passed down to different kinds of nature; whose construction is both native and foreign; and who comes into being through a rather unnatural classificatory order? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two species new to science, Begonia multiloba Moonlight and B. merendonensis Moonlight & D. L. Kelly, are described, from Guatemala and Honduras, respectively. These species are illustrated and diagnosed against similar species and are assigned provisional IUCN assessments as Critically Endangered because of their small ranges and the severe deforestation within those ranges. Both species are treated as members of Begonia L. sect. Gireoudia (Klotzsch) A. DC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, it's proposed that the kinship relationships of the Mesoamerican milperos, contained in a specific terminology, express the requirements of agricultural work and the demands of social and cultural reproduction. The fundamental characteristic of the social organization of Mesoamerican communities is the validity of patrilineal, exogamous systems, which constitute larger social units, domestic communities, the basis of the urban societies that make up the ancient history of Mesoamerica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of the Sierra de Manantlán Archeology Project (UdeG, conanp), in Jalisco, evidence has been recorded of a refined pottery tradition dating back to the Preclassic period (300 BCE – 300 CE), which consists, among other productions, of anthropomorphic clay figurines from the lower basin of the Ayuquila River; These figurines mark an original cultural richness, and draw attention for representing real women: all different from each other, pregnant, giving birth and/or carrying babies. In the light of recent feminist theories, we seek to propose an interpretation of these ancient female figurines, with physiological processes such as pregnancy, lactation, childbirth, and pedagogical and/or or playful such as parenting represented, beyond a classic explanation biased by the patriarchal paradigm as it is usually formulated: eroticism or fertility. So, we consider them as agency elements of the importance and social status given to fertile women, in a chrono-cultural context where demography resulted essential to society development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the Morisco Qasim al-Hajari's (Kitab) The Supporter of Religion against the Infidel 1611–13 for its diplomatic merit within the rubric of the Islamic Maghreb. In particular, it sheds light on how a scene from Spain's colonial expansionist encounters with native Americans is utilized within an Arabophone context of the early modern Islamicate world. Al-Hajari Islamizes the momentous and violent imperial encounter between the Aztec king Moctezuma and the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (1519) in Mexico. Additionally, he juxtaposes such a scene with Spain's violation of the treaties with Muslim Andalusians (1492–1609) and its incursions upon its neighboring Protestant powers. Al-Hajari's account not only indicates the itinerant condition which characterizes the circulation of ideas between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean but also demonstrates how imperial episodes acquire different meanings, through diplomatic endeavors and within different hermeneutic communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research conducted in southern Sonora, Mexico provides an opportunity to revisit debates about interaction between Mesoamerica and the North American Southwest (NAS). In the borderland between these traditions, communities show few signs of cultural amalgamation, instead exhibiting either an avoidance of overt identity markers or an emphasis on more local connections. This pattern contrasts with most discussions of Mesoamerican influence on the NAS that focus on regionally atypical centers of foreign goods consumption or evidence of foreign religious traditions in distant localities. By recentering on local contexts where cultural amalgamation is expected but minimal, we raise important questions about why more distant groups found Mesoamerican societies to be worthy of emulation. The results suggest researchers should devote equal attention to cases in which distinct identities are erased or suppressed as they do to cases in which social boundaries are maintained or created anew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) geochemical analysis on obsidian from five Formative period (1200 BCE to AC 100) sites from Tlaxcala, Mexico, has revealed that most of the material had similar values to those found in the closest obsidian source, named El Paredón, Puebla. Nevertheless, initial analyses did not resolve whether these materials came from the same caldera or from a specific obsidian deposit. Here we present a methodology that allows the identification of obsidian subsources. The results reveal that Tlaxcalan populations took advantage of a specific obsidian deposit called Tres Cabezas, Puebla, providing valuable new data to identify associated regional exchange networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although much research has been conducted on the Late Postclassic period Maya, there has been relatively less study of the role of economic activities in political management during this period. Many such studies focused on obsidian analysis and technology as proxies for trade and exchange. This article builds on that research, using a legacy collection of obsidian implements collected during archaeological surveys in the 1970s to examine Late Postclassic period (AD 1200–1524) economic networks in the K'iche' region. Obsidian collections from the site of Q'umarkaj and the surrounding region were examined through technological and geochemical analyses. I find that during the Late Postclassic period, K'iche' elites had more access to nonlocal obsidian sources than did non-elites, but that access to locally available sources was managed through independent and diverse acquisition networks. Thus, the K'iche' elite were not dependent on local economies as a main source of political power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]