Time Place and Landscape in Latin America (Week 1)

Archeology

Scientific investigations of archeological sites and past material remains

Ethnohistory

Analysis of written spanish/indigeonous accounts during the colonial period

Ethnology

use of modern ethnographic data from indigeonous communities

genetics/isotopes

data from human remains to asses population movement, interbreeding, ancestry of the past

Prehistoric and Colonial records

Maya hieroglyphs and codex - only from mesoamerica

Colonial accounts

from living members or descendants

Scientific chronometric dating

14C (carbon isotope) and tree ring dating

Importance of Geography

Latin america prehistory is closely tied to the physical landscape

High biological, physical, climactic and topographical diversity = high cultural diversity

Sources of risk

tectonically active (volcanos and earthquakes)

major upheavals in weather and climate (hurricanes, frosts, droughts, El nino)

soil quality ( acidic, shallow, rocky, easily depleted and eroded)

water scarcity and seasonal rains

different risks in highlands vs lowlands

The Humboldt Current

Coastal desert is a production of northerly cold humboldt current hugs shore

Upwelling provides cold water, trillions of phytoplankton = basis of marine food chain

Intensive anchovy production

Cultural and sacred landscapes

Highlands and lowlands

Sacred locations like (springs, lakes, mountains)

Syncretism of ancient and christian religions

Major Physiographic Features

Highland- volcano spine of latin america

Warm tropical Gulf coast and of lower Central america

Desert coast of W South america

Amazon Basin

Gran Chaco of Argentina

Temperate rain forest of South Chile and subalpine area of Patagonia

Tierra Fria

Arid highland areas above 2,000masl; northern and central mexico

Tierra Templada

temperate, sub-humid lands 1,000-2,000masl; farming land

Tierra caliente

Hot, humid lowlands below 1,000 masl

Highland Mexico and Central America

Convergence of Sierra Madre Occidental and Oriental

Line (E-W) of volcanos across Mexico

Seasonal and generally semi-arid, but more humid as you move south

Gulf coast and Tropical Lowlands

Hot, humid conditions along both coasts (atlantic and pacific)

Fertile coastal plain of mexico with volcanic rich soils

Lower complexity of prehistoric cultural developments in the tropics (with exceptions)

Andean Reigion

High risk, unpredictable environment with chronic (hypoxia) and episodic (precipitation, frosts) stress

Andes contain worlds longest and second highest mountain range; and world driest desert

One of worlds most tectonically active zones in the worlds, includes earthquakes, tidal waves volcanic eruptions.

Andean verticality

Andean Mountain chain provide a contiguous and varied array of ecological zones or “floors” defined by altitude, aspect, latitude and longitude

Verticality and Zonal Complementarity

Past and present cultures of the andes managed and controlled different production zones to obtain a complete range of foods and adequate nutrition (2 main components- proteins and carbohydrates)

Zonal complementarity is required in such an ecological diverse region

The Amazon basin

Largest river on earth by volume

Watershed around 6 million kilometers squared

tropical rainforest (viewed as a barrier by prehistoric and colonial powers)

more sophisticated cultures than previously thought

The Gran Chaco and the “Pampas”

Large grassy plain in south america (humid and dry)

Major area for cattle grazing in colonial and modern times

Light prehistoric developments in the region

The far southern cone: temperate rain forest and Patagonia

A dense temperate rain forest on pacific side (South Chile) and dry in the northern part

Patagonia: rugged, sub alpine landscape with cold erratic weather

Low degree of prehistoric development

A dynamic Paleiclimate

Continuously fluctioating climate conditions across a spatial and temporal scale

CO2, oxygen isotope (16O, 18O) data from ice cores (glaciers) and seashells in the ocean

Paleoclimatic record in the form of droughts, warm/cold periods, ENSO events, etc.

Early explorations in central america

Stephens and Catherwood

Published drawings and descriptions of ruins in mexico and central america

Alexander Von Humboldt

German naturalist, exploreer and polymath

Ephriam Squier

American diplomat, explorer and artist

Birth of latin american archeology

unofficial start date in Latin America ca. 1900

Mix od prominent europeans and national archeologists

Large excavation projects and building chronologies