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TERRA
PRETA QUISTOCOCHA, UPPER AMAZON, PERU
Department of Anthropology, University of Florida
DIRECTOR.
Augusto Oyuela-Caycedo (caycedo@anthro.ufl.edu)
Peruvian Research Director: Santiago Rivas Panduro
Place of excavation: The site of Quistococha, located 8
miles from the city of Iquitos
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Characteristics
of the site:
The first archaeological site found in the Upper Amazon associated with a terra
preta or dark soil. Dark earths are soils that have been modified by
human activity to increase their productivity. The site is located on a
high terrace formed during the Tertiary, over-looking the Lake of
Quistococha. The lake is a residue of water formed by the active flood
plain of the Amazon River. The site has been dated to between 300 AD and
900 AD. It is the first site in the Upper Amazon region of its kind.
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(July, 2007)
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Iquitos
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Research
Objectives:
The objective of the excavation was to test hypotheses on the environmental
context of human occupation of the terra
firme and its use. The area was dryer than in the present. The forest
was previously affected by human selection; We excavate an area of close to
100 square meters and record data that allows for the recognition of
seasonal activity patterns of the people. We are working on the
reconstruction of the the seasonality of occupation, the use of the forest,
and the climatic conditions when the site was occupied.
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(July, 2009 field survey participants)
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