El Gigante Rock Shelter: Archaic Mesoamerica and Transitions to Settled Life

Vegetation Surveys

To get a better idea of the changing environmental context of the area we needed to establish a baseline description of the modern ecological setting. Against this baseline we will be able to better evaluate the ecological indicators recovered from the excavation, items such as seeds from trees that no longer exist in the valley. To accomplish this we completed a systematic survey of modern trees and shrubs. Seven 200 m transects were completed, perpendicular to the Estanzuela River. The presence or absence of all trees and shrubs was noted every five meters. Botanical specimens were collected for identification by Dr. George Pilz at the Zamorano Agricultural University near Tegucigalpa. In this manner a statistically accurate figure for the percent of land covered by each species can be calculated and an inventory of available plants generated. These identifications and analyses are ongoing.

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