description Richard MacNeish Overview
Richard MacNeish was an American archaeologist whose fieldwork examined the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture in the Americas. His Tehuacán Archaeological-Botanical Project in Mexico, conducted in the 1960s, excavated caves including Coxcatlán and recovered early plant remains, including maize, squash, and chile. The resulting sequence became an important basis for studying the domestication of maize and the development of settled life in Mesoamerica.
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What was Richard MacNeish's Tehuacan project?
The Tehuacan Archaeological-Botanical Project was a multidisciplinary investigation of early food production in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico. Field surveys, excavations, and laboratory work were conducted from 1961 to 1964. [Cambridge](https://doi.org/10.1017/laq.2021.26)
Why is Coxcatlan Cave associated with Richard MacNeish?
MacNeish excavated Coxcatlan Cave in Puebla during his study of the Tehuacan Valley. The cave contained plant remains and cultural layers that helped researchers investigate the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture.
What did MacNeish find about early agriculture?
His project recovered early plant remains, including maize-related material, squash, and other food plants. These finds were used to build a long chronology for the development of agriculture in Mesoamerica.
What is The Prehistory of the Tehuacan Valley?
It is a five-volume report series published from 1967 to 1972 based on MacNeish's project. Later researchers have reassessed parts of the chronology, but the project remains a landmark in the archaeology of early agriculture.
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