Edaphology and archaeology: an approach to environmental change on the site scale

Abstract

The municipality of Metztitlán, in the northeast of the State of Hidalgo, has an extraordinary biotic diversity and a great wealth of raw materials used for the manufacture of tools, among which both obsidian and flint stand out. The first settlers in the area, towards the end of the Pleistocene, about 13,000 cal. yr B.P., were groups with knowledge of Clovis technology. Later, during the transition between the Pleistocene and the Holocene periods: 11,000 to 10,400 cal. yr B.P., groups with Plainview affiliation arrived to the area and populated the zone on a more stable basis. In the vicinity of the town of Itztayatla, located 5 km north of Metztitlán, at the site of ‘La Calzada,’ evidence is preserved from both eras: during the Clovis stage, there were flint point manufacturing stations; whilst from the Plainview occupation there was also a point workshop, but using obsidian, as well as the remains of a camp. From both periods there are paleosols in a good state of conservation, which provided us with information on the changes in the local environmental conditions, regarding the Pleistocene and the Holocene, along with other subsequent climatic events. This work highlights the importance of edaphological study, which provides a finer approximation to the palaeoenvironmental conditions with regard to the grade of the site. In addition, strategies are provided on how to obtain reliable samples; the argument for joint work between archaeologists and soil scientists with shared goals is also put forward.