Celebrating the Contributions of Volcanologists Minard Hall and Patricia Mothes to Ecuadorian Archaeology

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Celebrating the Contributions of Volcanologists Minard Hall and Patricia Mothes to Ecuadorian Archaeology" at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ecuador is one of the most volcanically active regions in the world and Minard “Pete” Hall and Patricia “Patty” Mothes are giants of Ecuadorian volcanism. Their work has been tremendously influential in understanding volcanic dynamics and human-volcano interactions throughout time in Ecuador. Pete began publishing on volcanism in the 1970s and was one of the most influential figures in early Ecuadorian volcanism, producing research that was foundational for the field. Patty brought a human perspective to their research, connecting it to communities both past and present. She is exceptionally collaborative and has authored and coauthored almost 300 articles and chapters. Together, Pete and Patty helped lead the volcanism program at the Instituto Geofísico de la Escuela Politécnica Nacional monitoring Ecuadorian volcanoes, communicating potential hazards to the public, and training new generations of Ecuadorian volcanologists. This session brings together their students, colleagues, and friends to discuss the influence their research has had on the field of archaeology and how they have shaped our understanding of the relationships between human societies and dynamic volcanism in Ecuador and around the world. Topics cover a broad range of subjects from volcanic impacts on agroecosystems, influence on warfare and depopulation, and beliefs and ritual practices.