Arqueológicos

Prehistory and Volcanism in the Arenal Area, Costa Rica
Author(s): Payson Sheets, John Hoopes, William Melson, Brian McKee, Tom Sever, Marilynn
Mueller, Mark Chenault, John Bradley
Source: Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Winter, 1991), pp. 445-465
Published by: Boston University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/530407
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445

Prehistory
Area,

and

Costa

in

the

Arenal

Rica

PaysonSheets
JohnHoopes

University f Colorado,Boulder, olorado
o
C
University f Kansas, awrence, ansas
o
L
K

WilliamMelson
BrianMcKee
Tom Sever

Volcasiism

Smithsoniannstitution, ashington, .C.
I
W
D

University fColorado,Boulder, olorado
o
C

EarthResources aboratory, tennisSpaceCenter,NSTL Station,Mississippi
L
S

Marilynn ueller
M
MarkChenault
JohnBradley

University f Colorado,Boulder, olorado
o
C

University f Colorado,Boulder, olorado
o
C

SanJuanCollege,Farmington, ew Mexico
N

Multidisciplinaty
researchonducted thetropicalainforestfNw Costa icauncovered
c
in
r
o
Revidencefhumanoccupation PaleoindianndArchaic imes hrough sedentaty
o
from
a
t
t
four
phaseso theSpanish onquest. hevillageifestyle,stablished 2000 B. C., wasremarkt
C
T
l
e
by
ablystable nd resilientn spiteoftheeffiects at leastnineprehistoric
a
i
of
explosive
eruptionsf
o
ArenalVolcano. ettlements aintainedgreater
S
m
economic
andpoliticalndependence
i
than
Mesoamerican
villages.aizewascultivated y2000 B. C., butit didnotbecome staple,
M
b
a
as nondomesticatedraandfaunaprovidedhebulkofthediet.A trendtoward ore
fo
t
m
elaboratefuneraty
ritual,and towardgreateristancesetweenillages ndcemeteries,
d
b
v
a
occuredrom2000 B. C. toA. C. 1200. Optical photographic) digitalremoteensing
f
(
and
s
detected umerous
n
linearanomalies, anyofwhich avebeenconf medsprehistoric
m
h
r
a
footpathshatrepresentsystem fhumantransportation communication the
t
a
o
and
across
prehistoric
landscape.

Introduction
undertephra(airfall olcanic sh, pumice, inders) nd
v
a
c
a
a
sequence f such depositsfor
o
The Proyecto rehistorico renal onducted rchaeo- provided stratigraphic
P
A
c
a
p
independentf artifactnalyses.urther,
o
a
F
logical,otanical, ndvolcanological
b
a
research
from1984 dating urposes,
d
f
through1987 in NWCostaRica.The objectives f the the Arenalareaaddedto the comparativeatabaseor
o
projectncluded stablishingatedvolcanic ndcultural exploringhe stability f humanadaptations tropical
i
e
d
a
t
o
to
e
occasional ajor olcanic vents. immv
e
S
frameworks studysettlement,ubsistence,ndtechnol- areas...