Evidence of prehispanic land use from the Central Group, South Group and peripheral areas of Tak'alik Ab'aj, based on geochemical and loss on iginition (LOI) studies

Geochemical and loss-on-ignition (LOI) studies at the National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj reveal distinct patterns of prehispanic land use, supporting hypotheses from traditional excavations. Peripheral areas exhibited higher and more varied LOI values compared to central zones, indicating greater organic matter content and suggesting these regions were more actively utilized for residential or agricultural purposes. The research, conducted in collaboration between the park and the University of Warsaw, analyzed sediment samples from the Central Group, South Group, and peripheral areas using advanced geoarchaeological techniques to reconstruct land use dynamics.

Gilewski, M., Schieber de Lavarreda, C., Woronko, B., Ogłaza, K., Medina, M., Claudio, G., Espigares, C., Flores, V., & Aleman, A. (2025). Evidence of prehispanic land use from the Central Group, South Group and peripheral areas of Tak’alik Ab’aj, based on geochemical and loss on iginition (LOI) studies. Estudios Latinoamericanos. https://doi.org/10.36447/estudios2024.v44.art2