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

Disturbances

The post-holes, storage or trash pits from the Formative and Archaic can complicate the chronological placement of artifacts and ecofacts. Formative era pits extend into Archaic strata and Early Archaic features (e.g. F5 on Figure 3) extend down into pre-cultural depths. The constant reworking of the sediments by the inhabitants mixes materials through strata. Other sources of mixing include bioturbation by rats and other small animals including insects burrowing in the soil. Major disturbances such as those of burrowing rodents were not noted. In addition, modern looting has taken its toll on the site.

The later is especially evident in the west block (5, 8, 10, 14) and pothole (11, 12) units. These excavations showed that the sediments against the back wall of the shelter had been recently turned over. Cigarette butts, recently imported botanical remains (mango pits and banana skin) and other trash was found throughout even the deepest levels. It seems the cave was looted as recently as the early 90’s evidenced by a cigarette butt of a brand which went out of business around that time.

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