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