Geoarchaeological approach to agricultural terraces at Carrizal and Asampay (Department of Belén, Catamarca, Argentina)

Bibliographic Data

ID19488604
AuthorsJuana Fuertes (0000-0002-1363-6839, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, corresponding author), Marco Álvarez (0000-0002-6652-6465, Austral University of Chile), Federico Wynveldt (0000-0002-7843-3039, Universidad Nacional de La Plata), María Emilia Iucci (0000-0002-5727-2256, Universidad Nacional de La Plata), M Laura López (0000-0001-9967-4424, Universidad Nacional de La Plata)
Year2026
Volume73
Pages105794
Publication date2026-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Archaeological Science Reports (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2352-409X • E-ISSN: 2352-4103
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105794
OpenAlexW7160292518
LanguageEN
References cited21

This paper aims to characterize the pre-Columbian agricultural terraces of the Asampay and Carrizal ravines (Department of Belén, Catamarca, Argentina) through a geoarchaeological approach. These terraces are associated with archaeological sites dating to the late 15th and early 16th centuries AD. To this end, we identify the agricultural practices employed in two cultivation structures through chemical, mineralogical, and compositional analyses. These results are compared with those obtained from a control test pit to assess the impact of these practices on the crop fields. Although the textural analyses did not reveal clear differences, the geochemical results show enrichment in phosphorus, organic carbon, organic matter, and nitrogen in the terrace soils (As.Laz.T1 and Caz.Cpi.T1) compared with the control sample (As.Las.Tg1). These variations suggest a range of soil management practices, potentially involving the application of fertilizers and organic amendments. The elevated concentrations of phosphorus and organic matter suggest that the soils were deliberately fertilized, while the increase in nitrogen indicates heightened plant activity within the cultivation structures. This study demonstrates the potential of geoarchaeological approaches for identifying soil management practices in pre-Columbian agricultural terraces of the Hualfín Valley

Agriculture · Earthworks · Geoarchaeology · River terraces · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Archaeology and Cultural Heritage · Latin American Legal and Economic Studies

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