ABSTRACT
The preceramic levels at Guila Naquitz produced some 21,705 identifiable plant remains, not counting grass and wood. For the purpose of the chapter, material from all preceramic levels is reported under identifications grouped by an arrangement known as the Engler and Prantl system of classification. Plant remains from all living floors have been sorted and identified in comparison with modern plant specimens from the area. Numerous masses of grass, apparently brought into the cave for bedding, furnish little identifiable material. In order to understand more properly the relationship of the people of the caves to their subsistence economy and to the environment, they must carefully consider the time period with which they are dealing. The major evidence in support of the use of cultivation is the unmistakable presence of Cucurbita pepo remains in Zones B, C, and D and of bottle gourds in Zones B and C.
