Multiproxy Geoarchaeological Analysis of Indigenous Herding Practices in La Palma (Canary Islands)
- Autores: Enrique Fernández-Palacios Rodríguez
- Directores de la Tesis: Carolina Mallol Duque (dir. tes.), Margarita Jambrina Enríquez (codir. tes.), Álvaro Castilla Beltrán (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universidad de La Laguna ( España ) en 2025
- Idioma: inglés
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Cristo M. Hernández Gómez (presid.), Mónica Alonso Eguíluz (secret.), Ana Polo Díaz (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Territorio y Sociedad. Evolución Histórica de un Espacio Tricontinental (África, América y Europa) por la Universidad de La Laguna y la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Menciones:
- Internacional
- Calificación: Sobresaliente Cum Laude
- Materias:
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- Resumen
This doctoral dissertation addresses the geoarchaeological study of two pre-Hispanic rockshelter sites in the island of La Palma (Canary Islands): Belmaco Cave (Villa de Mazo) and Buracas Cave A (Garafía). The central area of Belmaco Cave has been studied since the 1970s, and through this work, we provide new insights into its occupation as a place for sheltering livestock between the 8th and 14th centuries CE. Buracas Cave A, on the other hand, was first excavated in 2010 and shows a similar pastoral use during the 6th and 7th centuries CE. Our soil micromorphological results indicate that both archaeosedimentary deposits were formed as a consequence of ruminant dung and plant material accumulation over time, related to the animals keeping within the rockshelters. These accumulations were burned intermittently over time in order to sanitize the space and reuse it. The analysis of faecal biomarkers was carried out to reconstruct the origin of the faecal matter, which indicates excrement deriving from sheep and/or goat. This research has also approached the use of plant resources amongst La Palma indigenous communities, mainly those related to their herding activities, such as fuel, litter, insecticide, etc. Through the study of phytoliths we have observed a major component of dicotyledonous plants at Belmaco, while at Buracas monocotyledonous plants (mainly grasses) show a higher contribution. Furthermore, and to support the geoarchaeological analysis, the study of phytoliths has been complemented with the elaboration of a referential study aimed at exploring phytolith production among native Canary Island plants. The study of n-alkanes shows a biomolecular signal indicative of terrestrial vascular plants with long-chain n-alkane predominance at C31 in both sequences. This work generally contributes to advancing our understanding of the complex relationships between Canarian indigenous societies and their herding practices in relation to their insular setting and the dynamic environmental conditions existing during the pre-Hispanic period.
