It may be recalled that the population growth rate in the Early Formative, at 0.47% annually, was quite high, close to some estimates of the maximum possible for agrarian populations ([Hassan 1981]: 225). This is as might be expected of an initial colonization of a region by agricultural peoples. That is, either abundant resources were available for the taking, allowing the maintenance of large families and therefore rapid population growth, or considerable immigration was taking place from other areas. Whatever the case, the overall population index growth rate slowed dramatically in the Middle Formative to 0.13% (Table 6.3). This latter figure is more in line with global estimates of agrarian village population growth rates, which, according to Hassan, seem to average out at around 0.1% annually.