Journal of the Korean Geographical Society (대한지리학회지)

The Korean Geographical Society (대한지리학회)
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Human Impact on the Environment of Highland Central Mexico during the Pre-and Post-Conquest

멕시코 중부 고산 지역에서 스페인 식민 통치 시기를 전후하여 일어난 인위적 환경 변화

  • Park, Jung-Jae (The Institute For Korean Regional Studies, Seoul National University)
  • 박정재 (서울대학교 국토문제연구소)
  • Published : 2005.09.01
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Abstract

There is currently no agreement among archaeologists, environmental historians, and paleoecologists as to the relative significance of pre- and post-Conquest human impact on the environments of Highland Mexico. This paper presents the results of pollen, microscopic charcoal, dung fungal spore, isotope, and magnetic susceptibility analyses on ca. 4m sediment core. The coring site is Hoya Rincon de Parangueo, one of the seven maar lakes in the Valle do Santiago. Amaranthaceae pollen, one of important disturbance indicators and Zea mays pollen obviously indicate two periods of agricultural activities. The first period begins ca. 400 B.C. and ends ca. A.D. 850. The second begins around A.D. 1550 and continues to the present. During the first period, the degree of agricultural activities was related to periodical sunspot cycles and the most intense activities were present between ca. A.D. 150-ca. A.D. 400. The abrupt increase of $\delta^{18}O$ around 280cm may reflect that an important transition to a dry phase took place around A.D. 450. People probably stopped cultivating crops due to dry conditions prevailing since ca. A.D. 450. The second period, the post-Conquest, exhibits a dramatic increase of sporormiella, dung fungal spores resulted fron the introduction of cattle. Low Poaceae frequency and charcoal production and high $\delta^{13}C$ values, magnetic susceptibility, and organic contents all indicate the arrival of the Spanish. Most importantly, it seems that mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) could have benefits from declined fire frequencies caused by cattle grazing. The study area is now entirely dominated by woody plants like mesquite, which clearly demonstrates that serious vegetation change occurred in the study area.

스페인의 멕시코 점령시점(If세기 초)을 중심으로 멕시코 고산지역의 주민들이 어느 시기에 보다 광범위하게 주위 환경에 영향을 미쳤는가는 고생태학자 및 고고학자들이 벌이는 주된 논쟁 중의 하나다. 본 연구를 위해 2004년에 멕시코 중부 고산 지대의 Valle de Santiago지역에 위치하고 있는 7개의 마르(maar) 호수들 중 하나인 Rincon de Parangueo에서 4m 정도의 퇴적물 코어를 채취하였다. 채취된 코어에 화분, 세립 탄편 (Microscopic charcoal), 균류 포자 (Fungus spore). 안정 동위 원소, 자화율(Magnetic susceptibility), 지화학적 분석 등을 수행하였다. Hoya Rincon de Parangueo에서 얻은 고환경 데이터들은 식민 통치 이전과 이후에 일어났던 인간에 의한 환경 변화를 명확하게 보여주고 있다. 비름과 화분과 옥수수 화분은 연구지역 환경이 인간의 영향을 받은 두 시기를 보여준다 첫 시기는 400 B.C.- A.D 850 이며 두번째 시기는 A.D.1550- 현재이다. 첫번째 시기에는 농경활동이 태양의 흑점 주기와 관련되었던 것으로 보이며 가장 농경 활동이 활발했던 시기는 A.D. 150 - A.D. 400으로 추측된다. 280cm 깊이에서 갑자기 증가하는 $\delta^{18}O$값은 A.D. 450 년경부터 기후가 점차 건조해졌다는 것을 암시한다 아마도 이러한 기후 변화로 인해 원주민들이 경작을 포기하고 이주를 하기 시작한 것으로 보인다. 두 번째 시기는 sporormiella의 빈도수가 갑자기 증가하는 식민통치 초기부터 현재까지로 규정할 수 있다 이 시기에는 벼과 화분 비율과 세립 탄편 농도가 감소하며 $\delta^{13}C$ 값, 자화율치, 유기물량이 증가한다. 이러한 모든 데이터들은 유럽인들의 식민 통치로 인한 환경의 변화 과정을 설명해주고 있다. 특히 목축 활동으로 인해 자연 화재 빈도수가 감소하면서 메스키트가 혜택을 받은 점은 중요하다고 볼 수 있다. 연구 지역에서는 현재 메스키트를 위주로 한 관목들이 우점하여 자연 초지는 찾아보기 쉽지 않은 상태이다. 이는 이 지역에서 16세기 이후 대규모 목축활동에 의해 식생 변화가 크게 일어났다는 주장에 무게를 실어준다.

Keywords

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