Welcome back. This is Andy and this is the Port Prolls Almanac.

Today we're visited by Dr. Annabel Ford,

not only known for her work,

having discovered the ancient Maya city center of El Pilar,

but also someone who has written and worked extensively

with Maya forest gardeners.

Dr. Ford put us in touch with Mayan farmers in Belize,

and we were able to have a great conversation

about the role

of traditional forest management in the modern era. Not only this, but we got to talk about

some of the bigger picture questions around where these systems fit into a complex global

capitalist economy. So hopefully you guys enjoy this episode. If you'd like to see the full

uncut video from our conversations in Belize, please join us on Patreon.

Dr. Ford, I appreciate you taking some time to talk with us.

I know you're incredibly busy with all of your traveling, but your work is really incredible.

In our most recent episodes, we really took a look at some of these traditional NILPA systems.

And I know you're doing a lot of work that's a little bit more valuable than just simply

looking back to the past. So can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you're doing?

Well, I actually am exploring solutions past.

So I feel that some of the questions that archaeologists have asked of the ancient Maya,

if we can actually get to the fundamental aspects of their settlement pattern and their wealth,

because, of course, this society that I've been studying grew across, you know,

...