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Drained Fields at La Tigra, Venezuelan Llanos: A Regional Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Charles S. Spencer ,
Elsa M. Redmond  and
Milagro Rinaldi
Charles S. Spencer
Affiliation:
Anthropology Department, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W. at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192
Elsa M. Redmond
Affiliation:
Anthropology Department, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park W. at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192
Milagro Rinaldi
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Paleoecología, Centra de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Apartado 21827, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela
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Abstract

This paper discusses drained-field studies in Venezuela, beginning with the first investigations two decades ago that focused on field systems themselves and proceeding to recent research by the authors that examined the drained fields of La Tigra as part of a regional-scale project in the state of Barinas. The La Tigra fields are dated to the Late Gaván phase (A.D. 550-1000), a time of extensive habitation in the region. An analysis of excavated pollen samples from the drained fields and a nearby village site has revealed that whereas maize was the predominant plant, there was notable intersite variability in the secondary cultigens. The paper also considers whether population pressure could have prompted the construction of the La Tigra fields. A comparison of archaeological population estimates to estimates of potential population under varying assumptions of productive capacity yields no indication of demographic pressures. We suggest that drained-field construction in this case was motivated primarily by political-economic considerations, part of a strategy whereby the regional elite sought to stimulate and mobilize the production of surplus by village farmers.

Discutimos en este artículo los estudios sobre campos drenados en Venezuela, desde sus inicios hace veinte años, hasta llegar a la investigación reciente por los autores de esta obra sobre el estudio de los campos drenados de La Tigra, que forman parte de un proyecto a escala regional en el estado Barinas. Los campos corresponden a la fase Gaván Tardía (550-1000 D.C.), una época de ocupación extensiva en la región. El análisis palinológico de las muestras excavadas en los campos drenados y en un yacimiento cercano sugiere que el maíz fue el cultivo dominante, mientras que los cultígenos secundarios varían entre los dos sitios. También discutimos si los campos drenados de La Tigra fueron construidos en respuesta a presiones demográficas. Una comparación entre la estimación de la población arqueológica y estimaciones de la población potencial, bajo suposiciones variables, no produce indicaciones de presión demográfica. Sugerimos que los campos drenados de La Tigra fueron construidos por motivos político-económicos, y que formaron parte de una estrategia de la élite regional para estimular y movilizar la producción excedente.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , June 1994 , pp. 119 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1994

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