Bioarchaeological Analysis of Fragmentary Burials from the Site of Julcuy, a Late Archaic Site in Coastal Ecuador

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study presents the analysis of two fragmentary, poorly preserved burials — one adult male and one adolescent — discovered at the site of Julcuy in coastal Ecuador. These burials are tentatively dated to the Late Archaic, a period with very little osteological evidence resulting from the hostile burial environment. Due to the poor preservation, excavators removed the adolescent burial while still encased in matrix to avoid unnecessary damage to the fragile remains, while the adult was fully excavated at the site. The matrix recovery allowed for a more detailed and thorough excavation out of the matrix in the lab and permitted the recovery of small skeletal elements, suggesting that both were likely primary interments. The burials were found in a flexed position within the same feature but separate from each other. The proximity of the two individuals while remaining in distinct burial spaces appears to be an outlier for the funerary traditions of the period. These two individuals and their funerary context represent a small but vital addition to the growing bioarchaeological understanding of Archaic Period coastal Ecuador. ***This presentation will include images of human remains.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52962