Sustainable Resources in Pre-hispanic Coastal Ecuador: Their Associated Iconography and Symbolism

Abstract

The transition from hunting and gathering to sedentism began on the Ecuadorian Coast c. 10,000 years ago. Changes in adaptation, year-round settlements, and an increased dependence upon cultigens transformed prehistoric Andean cultures and created widespread modifications within the coastal ecology. Coastal Ecuador is characterized by extreme ecological diversity, particularly with regard to terrestrial plants, animals, birds, and maritime resources. Cultural changes in adaptation resulted in dramatic increase in population densities. Interdisciplinary research presented here incorporates zoological, botanical, and faunal remains identified archeologically, with descriptions and analysis of their representations on pre-Hispanic material culture and symbolically depicted in ancient iconography. The interdisciplinary research presented here enriches our knowledge and understanding of the rise of complex social organization associated with a more agricultural way of life. Our evidence indicates the cultivation and domestication of plants and animals, as well as the increased exploitation of maritime resources, provided the basis for early social complexity along coastal Ecuador.