Archaeological explorations in the fortress of Santo Tomas of Jánico. New contributions to its historical understanding

The paper shows the results of archaeological surveys carried out at the site where the Spaniards founded the Fortress of Santo Tomás de Jánico in 1494, during the initial colonization of Hispaniola. With the objective to identify structural remains of the fortress, and to validate ideas of a second occupation of this enclave, as well as searching for new information about the materials used in its construction, technical means such as ground penetration radar (GPR), metal detector, total station (TS) and drones were used. A three-dimensional model of the surface of the archaeological site was created from the photogrammetric surveys, in order to provide a new topographic map. From archaeological field surveys in the vicinity of the fortress nine new indigenous archaeological sites were registered as well

Looking at the Big Picture: Using Spatial Statistical Analyses to Study Indigenous Settlement Patterns in the North-Western Dominican Republic

After several field campaigns between 2007 and 2018 in the northwestern region of the Dominican Republic, more than 300 archaeological sites have been registered and revisited. While several of these sites were identified through the scatter of surface material culture, others show terrain modifications in the form of anthropogenic mounds and levelled areas. Researchers have gathered valuable information regarding these features’ functionality and construction processes through large-scale excavations in archaeological sites with anthropogenic mounds, paleoenvironmental studies and remote sensing analyses. These anthropogenic mounds represent a long-term process of formation and were used for a variety of purposes ranging from agricultural to ritual activities. While excavations and small-scale remote sensing can provide a myriad of data to improve our understanding of these archaeological sites, a regional perspective is needed to map the relationship among archaeological sites with and without terrain modifications, to better understand the Indigenous cultural patterns in their regional environment. In this regard, the primary objective of this paper is to explore to what extent these archaeological sites were related to the environment and each other. This was achieved by correlating archaeological data with a set of archaeologically recognized important environmental variables using advanced spatial statistics. The results provide important insights to understand the underlying pattern of archaeological sites in this region and its relationship with the environmental setting

Columbus’ footprint in Hispaniola:A paleoenvironmental record of indigenous and colonial impacts on the landscape of the central Cibao Valley, northern Dominican Republic

The 1100-year sedimentary record of Laguna Biajaca reveals human-driven landscape changes in the central Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola. This sediment-filled cutoff meander is located in close proximity to pre-Colonial archaeological sites and a Colonial urban hub. It provided a nutrient-rich floodable locus for agricultural activities for indigenous communities and for the first introduction of Old World crops and cattle in the Americas. Integration of paleoecological proxies revealed the formation of a clear-water body surrounded by a palm-rich forested landscape around 1100 cal yr BP. Changes in the drainage system were linked to human-driven deforestation, which also changed the composition of the vegetation and fungal communities around the site between AD 1150 and 1500 (800 and 700 cal yr BP). Pre-Colonial modifications of the landscape were primarily the result of fire-use and small-scale clearings. Crop cultivation developed between AD 1250 and 1450 (700–500 cal yr BP). Within decades after Columbus’ arrival in Hispaniola in AD 1492, the first impacts of European colonization included the abandonment of indigenous sites and the introduction of Old World domesticated animals. During the 15th and 16th centuries the area underwent intensive land-clearing that allowed for larger scale crop cultivation. An increase of aquatic vegetation points to sediment-filling around AD 1700 (250 cal yr BP). At that time, cattle breeding expanded and rapidly provoked eutrophication while, concurrently, monocultures became regionally established. This paper provides a framework of past environmental dynamics and offers an opportunity to place archaeological findings in a context of natural and anthropogenic change

Editorial: La normalidad rota. Impactos sociales y culturales de la pandemia de COVID-19

No necesita un resumen

Patrimonio arqueológico e identidades en la República Dominicana

In this study we approach some of the mayor problems in the study and conservation of the archaeological heritage in the Dominican Republic in the light of new challenges and problems that the globalization has generated, as well as other distortions imposed by certain historical and political processes within the country history. The analysis also attempts to appeal to the conservation and study of the archaeological heritage in the light of new concepts and categories used to study the subject in the field of archaeology and sociology, especially the point of view that enhances the activity of social agents. Finally we try to point out the aspects that are considered essential to generate a different point of view in the management of the archaeological heritage and that ultimately, could lead to the development of a different perception about archaeology in the country.Se abordan algunos de los principales problemas que presenta el estudio y conservación del patrimonio arqueológico de la República Dominicana a la luz de los nuevos retos y problemas que ha generado la globalización, así como de otras deformaciones impuestas por determinados procesos históricos y políticos dentro de la historia del país. El análisis también intenta hacer un llamado a la conservación y estudio del patrimonio arqueológico a la luz de nuevos conceptos y categorías usadas para el estudio del tema en el campo de la arqueología y la sociología, en especial, el punto de vista que prioriza la actividad de los agentes sociales. Por último, se intentan puntualizar aspectos que se consideran esenciales para generar una visión distinta en el abordaje del patrimonio arqueológico y que, a larga, podrían redundar en el desarrollo de una percepción distinta sobre la disciplina arqueológica en el país