An Archaeological Sequence for the Santiago-Cayapas River Basin, Esmeraldas, Ecuador

• Published in: Journal of field archaeology Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 295 - 308
• Main Authors: Tolstoy, Paul, DeBoer, Warren R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Routledge 01-10-1989; Boston University for the Association of Field Archaeology; Boston University
• Subjects: American civilisations; Andean civilisations; Art and archaeology; Coastal plains; Coasts; Corn; Ecuador; Field Reports: Excavation and Survey; Highlands; Pottery; River basins; Riverbanks; Seriation; Settlement patterns; Tropical forests
• ISSN: 0093-4690; 2042-4582
• DOI: 10.1179/jfa.1989.16.3.295

Esmeraldas Province in northern Ecuador has long been known as the location of the coastal site of La Tolita, at the mouth of the Santiago River. The rainforest interior of this area, however, remained archaeologically unexplored until recently. The work reported in this article should eventually help us better understand both the phenomenon of La Tolita and the broader trends of development on Ecuador's coastal plain, an area notable for its early evidence of village farming and of a Tropical Forest way of lift. Thus far, more than 80 sites have been located in the Santiago-Cayapas basin, and 6 of them have been tested by excavation. The ceramic sequence consists of six major phases, each of which can be characterized in terms of its material remains, settlement patterns, and links with other regions. Ongoing studies of pollen, phytoliths, and macro botanical remains indicate a rainforest environment over the last two millennia, as well as the cultivation of maize in at least two early phases. Ceramics suggest regional persistence and then decline of a La Tolita-like complex some two centuries after the apparent demise of La Tolita itself. The earliest pottery from the region does not closely resemble that of more southern portions of the Ecuadorian coastal plain.