Pacaya Palm, Chamaedorea tepejilote, is a common native species in Central America. It was heavily used by the Maya, so it is especially associated with past and current human sites. The Maya built large reservoirs to catch rain water, and the planted pacaya around the margins so their dense prop-rooted bases would filter soil out of flowing water that entered the reservoirs. Amazing that the plants are still abundant in the same places planted hundreds of years ago. This planting scheme is very obvious in Tikal, Caracol, and elsewhere.