By Ashley Landesman, Emma Latham, Jackie Lin, Alexandra Mairone, Jinal Patel, Sophia Rowland,
Kellie Swadba, Sophia WuAdvisor: Dr. Masucci
Assistant: Tim McEvoy
The Disappearance of the Ancient Guangalans
Boom and Bust
The Guangalans
• 200 BC--AD 600• Western Coast of
Ecuador (modern day El Azucar)
• Thriving agricultural community
After 800 years of prosperous farming, expansion, and a thriving civilization, the
Guangalans disappeared.
Why did a civilization which had thrived for 800 years collapse?
What happened?
The Guangalans over-farmed the land, causing deforestation, forcing them to abandon the land for survival.
Hypothesis
El Azucar
Julio Moreno Dry Tropical Forest Reserve
How to test the hypothesis?Charcoal
Firewood
Available Wood in Forest
Relationship with Environment
Two Tools:1. Dissecting Microscope2. Scanning Electron
Microscope
Methods
Two Tasks:1.Create charcoal reference library2.Identify archaeological samples
Scanning Electron Microscope
Barbasco Dissecting Microscope Photo
CollectingTypeSamples
• Barbasco• Cascol• Ebano• Guasango• Licuanco• Sapote
Keystone Species
There was dry
tropical forest!
• Charcoal analysis is a really new method
• Had to make our own pictures of our type samples
• 12 type species in total:
Creating Reference Library
• Barbasco
• Cascol
• Ebano
• Guasango
• Licuanco
• Sapote
• Algarrobo
• Guachapeli Blanco
• Guayacan
• Mata Sarna
• Morocho
• Mullullu Cascol Tree
What are we comparing?
Guachapeli Blanco Dissecting Microscope Photo (Above)Mata Sarna Scanning Electron Microscope Photo (Below)
• Rays• Annual Rings• Pores or Resin Canals• Compactness of Cells• Cell Size• Other Distinct Features
Categorizing Archaeological Samples
Our FindingsFrom Oldest To Most Recent
El Azucar SitesGuangalan
Period
210 BC - AD 90
Barbasco Type Sample
Archaeological Sample
AD 60 - 240
Archaeological Sample
Mata Sarna Type Sample
AD 195 - 365
Archaeological Sample
Ebano Type Sample
AD 290 - 450
Archaeological Sample Cascol Type Sample
AD 400-600
Sapote Type SampleArchaeological Sample100X
Coastal SitesPost-Guangalan
Period
AD 700 -900
Archaeological Sample Algarrobo Type Sample
In Summary
Time Period Species Found
AD 700 - 900 Algarrobo (5)
AD 400 - 600 Sapote (2)
AD 290 - 450 Cascol
AD 195 - 365 Ebano
AD 60 - 240 Mata Sarna
210 BC - AD 90 Barbasco Oldest
Most Recent
What does this mean?1. There was dry tropical forest during the
time of the Guangalans2. It is not evident that the Guangalans
destroyed their environment3. Algarrobo found in coastal sites
suggests deforestation in the area after the Guangalans, but further research is necessary.
4. Charcoal analysis works!
•Assumptions made• Inconsistencies in results•Lack of optimal samples•Time consuming•Time constraint
Issues
The goals of this project were to:• Identify wood charcoal used by the Ancient
Guangalans• Test the effectiveness of this method in
archaeological research.
Given more time, a larger sample size may be analyzed to properly represent the resource use of the Guangalans.
Conclusion
At the conclusion of this study, several unresolved questions remain.
• Why exactly did the Guangalan civilization disappear?
• What was the cause of the hypothesized climate change indicated by the presence of Algarrobo in later levels?
Conclusions Continued
Thank you Dr. Masucci for all your help in leading us through this research project and teaching us about what you're passionate for.
Thank you Tim McEvoy for keeping us focused and working hard and for buying us many meals.
Thank you Dr. Miyamoto for helping prepare our SEM specimens and for running this program.
Thank you John and Laura Overdeck and the other sponsors for your gracious contributions to keeping this program active.
Acknowledgements