Botanical resources and pre-Columbian subsistence in Nuevo Corinto, Costa Rica

Abstract

Archaeobotanical studies are rare in Costa Rica, which has limited the knowledge regarding the management of natural resources and foodways, sociopolitical differences, ethnicity, ritual practices, and more. The present study analyzed the vegetation changes at the Nuevo Corinto archaeological site (300–1200/1300 CE). In Mound-01, a stratigraphic profile was sampled to recover phytolith microbotanical remains. The archaeobotanical evidence was first described according to the morphological attributes and identified to taxonomical affiliation. Taxa abundances were correlated with construction features (occupation floors or construction fills), and archaeological phases (La Selva, La Union, La Cabaña). A total of 35 morphotypes and 16 vegetation taxa were identified and comprised a variety of grasses, palms, herbs, trees, and crops. Although the taxa diversity was similar throughout the three archaeological phases, the data showed different patterns between the occupation floors and the construction fills. These variations were related to changes in vegetation abundance, richness, and plant uses. The phytolith results suggest the continuous management of botanical resources at Nuevo Corinto for over a thousand years. The occupation floors illustrated the change of construction materials through time. Similarly, the construction fills indicated the vegetation patterns regarding the exploitation of wild and domesticated plants.