Landscapes, Architecture, and Settlement Patterns: Reflections on the Territorial Expansion of the Mantenos

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Innovations in Ecuadorian Archaeology" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Considering Smith’s (2007) comparative approach to ancient urban planning, this paper suggests that starting circa 1200 CE the Manteño engaged in a process of increased growth and expansion that led to a shared, standardized settlement strategy across an environmentally diverse area. This shared settlement strategy reflects a complex process of continuous coherence of Manteño communities into a larger social unit. This is evident in the large-scale terrain modifications and thousands of stone foundations found across the diverse landscapes of Manabí. Our work in the cloud forests of El Pital shows that the Manteño extensively modified marginal settlement areas such as the rugged slopes and deep cut valleys of the Paján Mountains to accommodate a growing population. We explore this shared settlement strategy by analyzing commonalities and differences in viewshed, access, and architecture between El Pital and other key Manteño settlements in different environments and elevations. The political and social implications of this study are addressed as well, contributing to the expanding literature of complex societies and settlement patterns in the New World’s neotropical regions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Innovations in Ecuadorian Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32627