The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts THE EL GIGANTE ROCK SHELTER, HONDURAS A Thesis in Anthropology by Timothy E. Scheffler © 2008 Timothy E. Scheffler Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2008 The thesis of Timothy E. Scheffler has been reviewed and approved* by the following: Kenneth G. Hirth Professor of Archaeological Anthropology Thesis Advisor Chair of Committee Lee Ann Newsom Associate Professor of Archaeological Anthropology William Sanders Professor Emeritus of Archaeological Anthropology Alfred Traverse Professor of Emeritus of Palynology David Webster Professor of Archaeological Anthropology Nina Jablonski Professor of Anthropology Head of the Department of Anthropology *Signatures on file in the Graduate School ii Abstract: The site of El Gigante, La Paz, Honduras is unique in Central America for its very well preserved organic remains and lengthy archaeological sequence. Preliminary analyses of the ceramics, lithics, botanical and faunal material are presented in a cultural sequence beginning at 9,480 B.C. The botanical remains recovered from the site are inventoried and several species are subjected to preliminary morphometric analyses in order to characterize the assemblage, and assess changes in plant phenotypes through time. The operation of "directional" (artificial) selection is evident at the site for several species, including avocado (Persea americana), squash (Cucurbita sp., cf. C. pepo), and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). While varieties of squashes may have been cultivated in the Archaic, clearly domesticated maize and beans appear to have been introduced in the Formative. However, stratigraphic disconformities in the period of c. 5,000 – 2,000 B.C., may bias this conclusion. From early in the sequence, botanical diversity is high, despite changing subsistence specialization and generalization evident in other artifact assemblages. Many undomesticated species are utilized prehistorically and are not lost from the diet despite the intensification of field-based food production of domesticated species. An emphasis is placed on suites of plants, both wild and domesticated, annual and perennial, whose use is integrated through time El Gigante. Together these subsistence systems afforded flexible, energetically efficient and risk minimizing choices to prehistoric foragers. Low level food production is evident as early as the Archaic period. Tree crops were one focus of subsistence practices. The augmentation and management of perennials is inferred from their consistency and prominence in the archaeological record. However, there is also evidence for the use of annual grasses during this time. The data invites further investigation into the landscape level paleoecological past around El Gigante. iii Table of Contents List of Figures................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Photographs.............................................................................................................x Acknowledgements........................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: THE SITE OF EL GIGANTE .................................................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 The Discovery of El Gigante........................................................................................... 3 The Current Project ......................................................................................................... 5 Dissertation Goals............................................................................................................ 6 CHAPTER 2: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT OF THE EL GIGANTE SITE, PAST AND PRESENT..................................................................................................... 21 Environment and subsistence ........................................................................................ 21 The climate and soils of highland Honduras ................................................................. 23 Regional Geology.......................................................................................................... 24 Relevant Climate Studies............................................................................................... 27 Vegetation history and anthropogenic disturbance ....................................................... 31 The Modern Vegetation Community............................................................................. 34 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 3: EXCAVATION AND STRATIGRAPHY............................................... 49 Introduction and Methods.............................................................................................. 49 Stratigraphy ................................................................................................................... 56 Site Concordance........................................................................................................ 63 CHAPTER 4: THE EXCAVATION RESULTS............................................................. 85 Radiocarbon Dating and the Cultural Sequence............................................................ 85 Disturbances and Gaps in the Archaeological Record .................................................. 89 Feature Descriptions...................................................................................................... 92 Feature Summary ..................................................................................................... 102 Sedimentary Analyses ................................................................................................. 104 Ash Comparison....................................................................................................... 104 Soil Carbon Content................................................................................................. 105 Fire Cracked Rock.................................................................................................... 106 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 107 CHAPTER 5: MATERIAL CULTURE AND FAUNAL REMAINS .......................... 121 Ceramics ...................................................................................................................... 121 Flaked lithic artifacts ................................................................................................... 125 Projectile Points........................................................................................................ 131 Ground Stone Artifacts............................................................................................. 134 Faunal Remains ........................................................................................................... 137 Declining Large Game through the Archaic ............................................................ 139 Pleistocene Fauna..................................................................................................... 143 Human Skeletal Remains............................................................................................. 145 Worked bone and shell ................................................................................................ 146 Textiles ........................................................................................................................ 147 Pictographs .................................................................................................................. 150 iv CHAPTER 6: THE PLANT REMAINS........................................................................ 168 Introduction to the Assemblage................................................................................... 168 Macrobotanical methods.............................................................................................. 174 Macrobotanical Results ............................................................................................... 178 Esperanza Phase Remains ........................................................................................ 178 Agave/Maguey ...................................................................................................... 178 Hog Plum/Ciruela................................................................................................. 181 Sapotaceae............................................................................................................. 187 Avocado ................................................................................................................ 191 Palm ...................................................................................................................... 194 Wild beans ............................................................................................................ 196 Acorns................................................................................................................... 197 Other