August 22, 2002
Maya Dams - Mesoweb

usumboatsm.jpgJoel Skidmore at Mesoweb has a summary of the dam threats to Maya sites at Mesoweb Reports. It includes this map from the early 90's of proposed dam flooding in the Usumacinta and Pasion watersheds, and from Seibal to Cancuen.

It also has a Yaxchilan map, showing the entire main plaza flooded by higher river levels.

Many thanks to Joel.

But the link to this came from Ron Canter. He also writes:

Boca del Cerro would flood small Maya sites, and most or all of the rapids in San Jose Canyon. "Small dam" seems to be a fuzzy term. In Belize on the Macal it means about 50 feet high. The dam related road being built off the road to Frontera is most ominous. It has no connection to Boca del Cerro, which is far downstream at the end of the canyons. Road suggests that a dam at El Porvenir is back in the plan, and maybe the one at La Linea too.

These would flood the entire river up to Yaxchilan. Ruins at Cayo would be flooded, plus some of P.N. and many smaller sites.

The chance to map and unravel the workings of the complex river road which connected Usu' cities would be lost too.

Posted by Dave at August 22, 2002 11:34 AM