POLLEN ANALYSIS OF FIELD SEDIMENTS FROM WAWAKIKI, SOUTH COAST, PERU

Summary

Twenty sediment samples collected from agricultural terraces at Wawakiki along the

southern coast of Peru in the Department of Moquegua. Four different time periods are

represented at this site, dating from the Early Ceramic (extending to approximately AD 700-

800), the Chiribaya (AD 800-1350), the Early Spanish Colonial Period (AD 1600-1750), and

finally the Late Spanish Colonial/Early Modern Era (AD 1750-1900). Although Wawakiki is one

of a series of spring-fed agricultural systems north of the mouth of the Osmore River, it lies

abandoned today. The majority of the site lies between two quebradas on a rocky bluff that

rises sharply from the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, pollen and phytolith analysis were undertaken

to identify crops grown in the agricultural fields and to identify any changes in local vegetation

during the time periods sampled.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• PaleoResearch Institute

Keywords

File Information