Tolas, fish traps and radiocarbon dating

The spatial characterization of the Manteño site of Ligüiqui in Ecuador and its contextualization within the chronological framework of other pre-Hispanic cultures

Bibliographic Data

ID6448009
AuthorsManuel Castro-Priego (0000-0002-0645-8341, corresponding author), Lauro Olmo-Enciso (0000-0002-0181-3084), Francisco J Jiménez Espejo (0000-0002-0335-8580), Marcos Octavio Labrada Ochoa (0000-0002-8300-1847), Pilar Diarte Blasco (0000-0001-7799-593X), Juan Andrés Jijón-Porras (0000-0002-5970-6206), Antonio García‐alix (0000-0002-1823-488X)
Year2024
Volume67
Issue1
Pages25-52
Publication date2024-12-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/rdc.2024.111
OpenAlexW4405115271
LanguageEN
References cited47

Ecuador is a key area in South America when it comes to understanding the economic, social and archaeological aspects of pre-Hispanic cultures in the northwestern region of the Andes. Among the most complex societies to have inhabited this territory is the so-called Manteño culture (AD ∼800–1530), which spanned across most of Ecuador’s central Pacific coast. Ongoing research at the site of Ligüiqui (Manta, Manabí) has enabled us to obtain a more complete overview of the chronological sequence of the Manteño period as well as contributing further data on the advanced stage of social development reached during the period; characterized by the hierarchical arrangement of sites, the use of extensive settlement models, and semi-circular stone fish traps ( corrales ). In order to understand the role played by this coastal site in the complex Manteño culture, a detailed radiocarbon study was performed in the sequence of the Ligüiqui site. In addition, using a detailed review of available Manteño settlement radiocarbon data (13 sites and 64 dates), we established a chronostratigraphic framework for the culture. Our data indicate that Ligüiqui probably acted as a supply centre for marine-origin products from the twelfth century onwards with activity peaking during the Late Manteño period. A multisite comparison using Bayesian modeling indicates an early onset of the Manteño culture in Ligüiqui around AD 700, and a general demise in most of the sites AD ∼1500 or slightly before. This culture finally collapsed before AD ∼1600 during the early Spanish colonial period. Only one site, La Libertad, shows potential evidence of having remained a Manteño settlement after that date

Archaeology · Contextualization · Culture of the United States · Demise · Geography · Period (music · Radiocarbon dating · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Latin American history and culture · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Geology