Pre-Columbian Adaptation to Fluvial Environments, Chontales, Central Nicaragua: 2018 PRISMA Results.

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Reconstructing the Political Organization of Pre-Columbian Nicaragua" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Alluvial valleys are dynamic environments that continuously change under the influences of flooding and erosive processes caused by climatic and tectonic events. The Roberto Amador site is situated on alluvial deposits, surrounded by a meander of the Mayales River, in the proximity of the city of Juigalpa, Chontales, central Nicaragua. The aim of PRISMA (Proyecto Arqueolόgico Interdisciplinario Santa Matilde) is to identify major environmental changes at the Roberto Amador site and determine how pre-Columbian populations responded to these impacts. Fluvial and archaeological variations have been investigated through the integration of archaeological, geoarchaeological, archaeobotanical, thermographic and remote sensing techniques. The site has been occupied between 900 - 1100 AD and that the settlement planning is intimately related to the disposition of streams and alluvial areas. Circular stone mounds were built on the highest part of the river meander, while semi circular stone features have been identified along seasonal streams. Furthermore, different occupational phases have been identified along the fluvial terraces. While the upper terrace shows evidence for continuous human occupation, the lowest ones experience periods of temporary abandonment. The recent excavation (2018) of a funeral vessel from the upper terrace, suggests that this area may have been used for funerary purposes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Reconstructing the Political Organization of Pre-Columbian Nicaragua

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24640