Twelve millennia of plant use in the Northwest Amazon
Archaeobotanical insights from Cerro Montoya 1
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22437584 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Heli Gaspar Morcote-Ríos (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), F J Aceituno (0000-0002-5727-8826, Universidad de Antioquia), Francisco Javier Aceituno Bocanegra (Universidad de Antioquia), Mark Edward Robinson (University of Exeter), Mark Robinson (0000-0003-4911-7106, University of Exeter), Hoyos-Gómez Saúl E (Universidad de Antioquia), J Iriarte (0000-0002-8155-5360, University of Exeter) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2813-432X • E-ISSN: 2813-432X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fearc.2026.1814264 |
| OpenAlex | W7167932671 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 54 |
Cerro Montoya 1 (CM1), in the Serranía de La Lindosa (Guaviare, Colombia), preserves one of the longest and most detailed multi-proxy archaeobotanical sequences in north-western Amazonia, spanning from the Late Pleistocene (∼12.6 cal ka BP) to the early Colonial period (∼0.4 cal ka BP). Integrated analyses of plant macroremains, phytoliths, starch grains, and charred parenchyma reveal a remarkably stable, broad-spectrum subsistence strategy from the earliest occupations onward. Palms—especially Syagrus orinocensis , Attalea maripa , and Astrocaryum chambira —dominate the assemblage throughout the sequence, underscoring their central dietary and technological importance. This study also provides one of the first systematic archaeobotanical documentations of root and rhizome exploitation in the Colombian Amazon, identifying geophytes from Costaceae, Marantaceae, Heliconiaceae, and Strelitziaceae through microfossil and anatomical evidence. CM1 also yields the earliest evidence in north-western Amazonia for the use of Brazil nuts ( Bertholletia excelsa , ∼7.2–7.0 cal ka BP). Increasing palm abundance and diversity through the Holocene suggest low-level, cumulative forms of forest management rather than early domestication. Cultivated crops are absent during the initial millennia of occupation and appear only in the Late Holocene, with maize ( Zea mays ) restricted to the final pre-Columbian layers (∼0.5–0.3 cal ka BP). The assemblage reflects strategic exploitation of a heterogeneous ecotonal landscape incorporating terra firme forest, flooded forest, savannah, and tepui mesatop hill environments. Combined with faunal evidence, the data indicate that early inhabitants entered this transitional Amazon–Orinoco region with fully developed, flexible subsistence systems centred on palms, roots, and forest fruits, rather than on incipient cultivation. CM1 thus contributes critical evidence to debates on tropical forest colonisation, early plant management, and the long-term resilience of foraging economies in Amazonia.
Assemblage (archaeology) · Before Present · Colonization · Holocene · Paleoecology · Paleoethnobotany · Period (music) · Pleistocene · Prehistory · Subsistence agriculture · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |