Phosphate Analysis of Prehistoric Structures in Rio Blance, Ecuador

Archaeologists have identified many prehistoric structures affiliated with the Manteño culture 500 CE to 1532 CE of coastal Ecuador, but the function of those constructions is rarely understood. The majority of the buildings have not yet yielded clear evidence of their function. As part of an ongoing project by Florida Atlantic University to explore the function of these buildings, I conducted systematic soil phosphate testing in and around two archaeological structures and, for ethnoarchaeological comparison, four contemporary households. The two prehistoric structures are located 200 meters from each other and on two different river terraces within the same river valley. They are part of a larger site C4-084. I found clear spatial patterning in phosphate concentrations in and around the archaeological structures. The concentrations were higher inside the structures, while outside they decreased with distance from the structure. Statistical testing and spatial analysis have proved the two structures were used for different purposes