The studies of water management in Maya cultural regions constitute an integral part of our understanding of ancient Maya Civilization. Aguadas, as ancient Maya water management features have been an understudied aspect of Maya water management systems. In this dissertation, it is proposed that recognizing the origins and the function of aguadas will help us obtain a more complete picture of ancient Maya water management strategies. Overall, the dissertation aims to synthesize the available archaeological and environmental investigations of aguadas, in addition to adding my own original work. The three research articles presented here seek to understand varied uses of aguadas. Articles 1 and 2 focus on my own paleoenvironmental aguada investigations done under the supervision of Dr. Nicholas Dunning in Guatemala and Belize. Article 3 brings forward a synthesis of Maya Lowland aguada studies that took place between 1930s and the present. The research articles contribute to the advancement of Maya archaeology by: 1) providing a better understanding of aguadas within ancient Maya water management systems; and 2) placing aguadas in the broader framework of the cultural ecology and geography of the southern Maya Lowlands.
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