Publications
2021 Food practices of the first farmers of Europe: Combined use-wear and microbotanical studies of Early Neolithic grinding tools from the Paris Basin. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 36. (with Caroline Hamon, Aline Emery-Barbier, and Aurélie Salavert).
2020 Monumental architecture at Aguada Fénix and the rise of Maya civilization. Nature 582: 530–533. (with Takeshi Inomata, Daniela Triadan, Verónica A. Vázquez López, Juan Carlos Fernandez-Diaz, Takayuki Omori, María Belén Méndez Bauer, Melina García Hernández, Timothy Beach, Kazuo Aoyama, and Hiroo Nasu).
2021 Boiled, fried, or roasted? Determining culinary practices in Medieval France through multidisciplinary experimental approaches. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 35 (with Aurélie Chantran).
2019 Ancillary economic activities in a Classic Maya regal palace: A multiproxy approach. Geoarchaeology 34(6): 768-782. (with Maxime Lamoureux‐St‐Hilaire, Marcello A. Canuto, E. Christian Wells, and Tomás Barrientos).
2019 Hervir y Moler: Descifrando Técnicas De Elaboración De Alimentos A Través del Análisis Microscópico de los Granos de Almidón Recolectados en Contextos Arqueológicos Mesoamericanos. Itinerarios 29: 9-33.
2019 Prehistoric and Traditional Agriculture in Lowland Mesoamerica. Oxford Research Encyclopedia. DOI:
10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.174
2018 Shedding Light on the Nightshades (Solanaceae) Used by the Ancient Maya: a Review of Existing Data, and New Archeobotanical (Macro- and Microbotanical) Evidence from Archeological Sites in Guatemala. Economic Botany 72(2):180-195.
2017 Ancient Maya manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) consumption: Starch grain evidence from late to terminal classic (8th–9th century CE) occupation at La Corona, northwestern Petén, Guatemala. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 16:276-286. (With Jocelyne M. Ponce)
2017 Sweet, Weedy and Wild: Macrobotanical Remains from a Late Classic (8th Century AD) Feasting Deposit Discovered at La Corona, an Ancient Maya Settlement. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 27(1): 241-252.
2017 Underground Pits (Chultunes) in the Southern Maya Lowlands: Excavation Results from Classic Period Maya Sites in Northwestern Petén. Ancient Mesoamerica 28(1): 75-94.
2016 Book Review of "The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: An Ethnobotanical Guide" by Suzanne Cook, 2016. Economic Botany 70(3):343-344.
2015 Strolling through Madame Mandeville’s Garden: The Real and Imagined Landscape of Eighteenth Century New Orleans, Louisiana. Journal of Ethnobiology 35(2): 235-261. (with Gayle J. Fritz and Shannon L. Dawdy).
2013 Estudios de Plantas y Animales en La Corona. In XXVI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, edited by Barbara Arroyo and Luis Mendez Salinas, pp. 1009-1017, Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia, Guatemala. (with Diana N. Fridberg).
2020 Monumental architecture at Aguada Fénix and the rise of Maya civilization. Nature 582: 530–533. (with Takeshi Inomata, Daniela Triadan, Verónica A. Vázquez López, Juan Carlos Fernandez-Diaz, Takayuki Omori, María Belén Méndez Bauer, Melina García Hernández, Timothy Beach, Kazuo Aoyama, and Hiroo Nasu).
2021 Boiled, fried, or roasted? Determining culinary practices in Medieval France through multidisciplinary experimental approaches. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 35 (with Aurélie Chantran).
2019 Ancillary economic activities in a Classic Maya regal palace: A multiproxy approach. Geoarchaeology 34(6): 768-782. (with Maxime Lamoureux‐St‐Hilaire, Marcello A. Canuto, E. Christian Wells, and Tomás Barrientos).
2019 Hervir y Moler: Descifrando Técnicas De Elaboración De Alimentos A Través del Análisis Microscópico de los Granos de Almidón Recolectados en Contextos Arqueológicos Mesoamericanos. Itinerarios 29: 9-33.
2019 Prehistoric and Traditional Agriculture in Lowland Mesoamerica. Oxford Research Encyclopedia. DOI:
10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.174
2018 Shedding Light on the Nightshades (Solanaceae) Used by the Ancient Maya: a Review of Existing Data, and New Archeobotanical (Macro- and Microbotanical) Evidence from Archeological Sites in Guatemala. Economic Botany 72(2):180-195.
2017 Ancient Maya manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) consumption: Starch grain evidence from late to terminal classic (8th–9th century CE) occupation at La Corona, northwestern Petén, Guatemala. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 16:276-286. (With Jocelyne M. Ponce)
2017 Sweet, Weedy and Wild: Macrobotanical Remains from a Late Classic (8th Century AD) Feasting Deposit Discovered at La Corona, an Ancient Maya Settlement. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 27(1): 241-252.
2017 Underground Pits (Chultunes) in the Southern Maya Lowlands: Excavation Results from Classic Period Maya Sites in Northwestern Petén. Ancient Mesoamerica 28(1): 75-94.
2016 Book Review of "The Forest of the Lacandon Maya: An Ethnobotanical Guide" by Suzanne Cook, 2016. Economic Botany 70(3):343-344.
2015 Strolling through Madame Mandeville’s Garden: The Real and Imagined Landscape of Eighteenth Century New Orleans, Louisiana. Journal of Ethnobiology 35(2): 235-261. (with Gayle J. Fritz and Shannon L. Dawdy).
2013 Estudios de Plantas y Animales en La Corona. In XXVI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, edited by Barbara Arroyo and Luis Mendez Salinas, pp. 1009-1017, Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia, Guatemala. (with Diana N. Fridberg).
Technical Reports
2013 Excavaciones en el Grupo 13S-1. In Informe Final, Temporada 2012 de Proyecto Arqueológico La Corona (edited by Tomas Barrientos Q., Marcello A. Canuto, and Jocelyne Ponce), pp. 279-288, Guatemala.
2013 Investigación de chultunes en El Jobillo. In Informe Final, Temporada 2012 de Proyecto Arqueológico La Corona (edited by Tomas Barrientos Q., Marcello A. Canuto, and Jocelyne Ponce), pp. 289-296, Guatemala.
2013 Resultados de Análisis Paleoetnobotánicos: Temporadas 2009 a 2011. In Informe Final, Temporada 2012 de Proyecto Arqueológico La Corona (edited by Tomas Barrientos Q., Marcello A. Canuto, and Jocelyne Ponce), pp. 349-366, Guatemala.
2013 Operación CH16: Excavaciones en chultunes. In Informe Final, Temporada 2012 de Proyecto Arqueológico El Peru-Waka’, Informe No. 10 (edited by Juan Carlos Perez Calderon), pp.106-132, Guatemala.
2012 Operación CR48: Investigación de chultunes en La Corona. En Informe Final, Temporada 2011 de Proyecto Arqueológico La Corona (edited by T. Barrientos Q., M. A. Canuto, y J. Ponce), pp.357-372. Guatemala.
2011 Análisis Preliminar de los Restos Paleobotanicos de La Corona. En Proyecto Arqueológico La Corona: Informe Final, Temporada 2010 (edited by T. Barrientos Q., M. A. Canuto, y M. J. Acuña), pp. 385-402. Guatemala.
Published Abstracts
2015 Clarissa Cagnato, Olivia Navarro-Farr, Griselda Perez, and Damaris Menendez
Feeding the Gods, Calling the Rains: Archaeobotanical Remains from a Monumental Fire Shrine at El Peru-Waka’, Guatemala
The discovery of a fire shrine atop the adosada of Structure M13-1 at El Perú-Waka’ supports the archaeological and epigraphic records which have at various places in the Maya region (including Waka’) made reference to the arrival in A.D. 378 of Siyaj K’ak’. This event resulted in the introduction of the fire shrine cult, glossed as Wite Naah in Mayan, from Teotihuacan to the Maya Lowlands. M13-1’s cal A.D. 7th century fire shrine is the final phase of the main temple’s fronting platform. Careful collection of soil samples and the subsequent archaeobotanical analysis makes this context unique as no other such fire shrines have been fully sampled for plant remains. These new data provide additional avenues for exploring rituals carried out at these fire shrines. The plant remains, understood as offerings to the gods, include wood, diverse types of seeds, flowers, and incense, and reflect a special concern with themes of fertility, water, and agricultural abundance. This unique deposit provides new insights into the ritual use of plants among the ancient Maya; activities that continue today.
(Link: http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Meetings/2015%20Abstracts/C-D.pdf)
________________________________
2014 Clarissa Cagnato
Shedding light on the nightshades (Solanaceae family) used by the ancient Maya: New archaeobotanical evidence from archaeological sites in northwestern Petén, Guatemala.
Today, plants in the Solanaceae family are economically important to a large number of people around the world. However, in places such as Central America where the diversity of nightshades is especially high, the ancient use of species within this family is not well documented. Particularly, nightshade plant use by the ancient Maya is poorly understood. In this paper, I present new archaeobotanical data in the form of macrobotanical remains and starch grains recovered from Classic period (AD 250-900) ancient Maya archaeological sites in northwestern Petén, Guatemala. These data indicate that the ancient Maya used a variety of nightshades in both domestic and ritual contexts. Insights garnered from this research may provide botanists with new insights regarding the distribution and diversity of the Solanaceae family within this specific geographical area.
(Link: http://ethnobiology.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/sebsoeprogram5_3_14.pdf)
________________________________
2012 Clarissa Cagnato and Diana N. Fridberg
Estudio de los Restos Botánicos y de Fauna en La Corona: Metodología y Primeros Resultados
Los antiguos habitantes de La Corona explotaron una diversidad de especies de plantas y animales en sus vidas cotidianas. La integración de estudios paleo-etnobotánicos y de fauna en las investigaciones de La Corona ha proporcionado datos importantes y útiles para la interpretación del sitio. En esta ponencia se presentan los análisis derestos macrobotánicos (semillas, madera, etc.) y microbotánicos (granos de almidón), así como el uso amplio de fauna local y también ajena al sitio.
(Link: http://es.scribd.com/doc/99020986/Programa-FINAL-2012)
_______________________________
2012 Cagnato, Clarissa and Gayle J. Fritz
Strolling through Madame Mandeville’s Garden: The Real and Imagined Landscape of 18th Century New Orleans
Paleoethnobotanical samples from 18th century French and Spanish colonial contexts at the Rising Sun Hotel site, New Orleans, were collected and analyzed to further understand the colonial garden landscape and to assess whether or not the plants cultivated there reflect creolization. Results indicate that while there was no dramatic change in plant composition over time, the garden as a constructed landscape was modified to suit the needs and values of the inhabitants. Moreover, the garden probably did not represent the city planners' ideal vision of what the constructed landscape should look like: one that replicated Versailles and other European gardens.
(Link: http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Meetings/2012%20program/1-246.pdf)
__________________________________
2007 Cagnato, Clarissa, Patrick Dresch, Pamela L. Geller, and Cassandra R. Bill
El Guayabal and Las Orquídeas: The El Paraíso Valley as a Regional Center in the Preclassic
Investigations at El Guayabal and Las Orquídeas in the El Paraíso valley confirm the time depth and extent of the valley’s settlement. Ceramic analysis indicates both sites were strongly tied to the ceramic traditions of the region and confirms valley occupation dating to as early as the Middle Preclassic. It appears that the Preclassic period was dominated by El Guayabal—a site that includes the largest earthen structure in the Copan region. However, Late Preclassic settlement in the valley was also characterized by smaller sites, like Las Orquídeas, similar to sites located throughout the southeastern Maya area.
(Link: http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Meetings/Abstracts/Abstracts2007.pdf)
Feeding the Gods, Calling the Rains: Archaeobotanical Remains from a Monumental Fire Shrine at El Peru-Waka’, Guatemala
The discovery of a fire shrine atop the adosada of Structure M13-1 at El Perú-Waka’ supports the archaeological and epigraphic records which have at various places in the Maya region (including Waka’) made reference to the arrival in A.D. 378 of Siyaj K’ak’. This event resulted in the introduction of the fire shrine cult, glossed as Wite Naah in Mayan, from Teotihuacan to the Maya Lowlands. M13-1’s cal A.D. 7th century fire shrine is the final phase of the main temple’s fronting platform. Careful collection of soil samples and the subsequent archaeobotanical analysis makes this context unique as no other such fire shrines have been fully sampled for plant remains. These new data provide additional avenues for exploring rituals carried out at these fire shrines. The plant remains, understood as offerings to the gods, include wood, diverse types of seeds, flowers, and incense, and reflect a special concern with themes of fertility, water, and agricultural abundance. This unique deposit provides new insights into the ritual use of plants among the ancient Maya; activities that continue today.
(Link: http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Meetings/2015%20Abstracts/C-D.pdf)
________________________________
2014 Clarissa Cagnato
Shedding light on the nightshades (Solanaceae family) used by the ancient Maya: New archaeobotanical evidence from archaeological sites in northwestern Petén, Guatemala.
Today, plants in the Solanaceae family are economically important to a large number of people around the world. However, in places such as Central America where the diversity of nightshades is especially high, the ancient use of species within this family is not well documented. Particularly, nightshade plant use by the ancient Maya is poorly understood. In this paper, I present new archaeobotanical data in the form of macrobotanical remains and starch grains recovered from Classic period (AD 250-900) ancient Maya archaeological sites in northwestern Petén, Guatemala. These data indicate that the ancient Maya used a variety of nightshades in both domestic and ritual contexts. Insights garnered from this research may provide botanists with new insights regarding the distribution and diversity of the Solanaceae family within this specific geographical area.
(Link: http://ethnobiology.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/sebsoeprogram5_3_14.pdf)
________________________________
2012 Clarissa Cagnato and Diana N. Fridberg
Estudio de los Restos Botánicos y de Fauna en La Corona: Metodología y Primeros Resultados
Los antiguos habitantes de La Corona explotaron una diversidad de especies de plantas y animales en sus vidas cotidianas. La integración de estudios paleo-etnobotánicos y de fauna en las investigaciones de La Corona ha proporcionado datos importantes y útiles para la interpretación del sitio. En esta ponencia se presentan los análisis derestos macrobotánicos (semillas, madera, etc.) y microbotánicos (granos de almidón), así como el uso amplio de fauna local y también ajena al sitio.
(Link: http://es.scribd.com/doc/99020986/Programa-FINAL-2012)
_______________________________
2012 Cagnato, Clarissa and Gayle J. Fritz
Strolling through Madame Mandeville’s Garden: The Real and Imagined Landscape of 18th Century New Orleans
Paleoethnobotanical samples from 18th century French and Spanish colonial contexts at the Rising Sun Hotel site, New Orleans, were collected and analyzed to further understand the colonial garden landscape and to assess whether or not the plants cultivated there reflect creolization. Results indicate that while there was no dramatic change in plant composition over time, the garden as a constructed landscape was modified to suit the needs and values of the inhabitants. Moreover, the garden probably did not represent the city planners' ideal vision of what the constructed landscape should look like: one that replicated Versailles and other European gardens.
(Link: http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Meetings/2012%20program/1-246.pdf)
__________________________________
2007 Cagnato, Clarissa, Patrick Dresch, Pamela L. Geller, and Cassandra R. Bill
El Guayabal and Las Orquídeas: The El Paraíso Valley as a Regional Center in the Preclassic
Investigations at El Guayabal and Las Orquídeas in the El Paraíso valley confirm the time depth and extent of the valley’s settlement. Ceramic analysis indicates both sites were strongly tied to the ceramic traditions of the region and confirms valley occupation dating to as early as the Middle Preclassic. It appears that the Preclassic period was dominated by El Guayabal—a site that includes the largest earthen structure in the Copan region. However, Late Preclassic settlement in the valley was also characterized by smaller sites, like Las Orquídeas, similar to sites located throughout the southeastern Maya area.
(Link: http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/Meetings/Abstracts/Abstracts2007.pdf)