Formative settlement patterns in the valdivia valley, SW coastal ecuador
Abstract
The prevailing view of the Formative in Ecuador is of a period characterized by precocious development and transformation. Initially, the Early Formative (Valdivia) period is marked by a very early appearance of ceramics associated with large U-shaped or circular villages reminiscent of Tropical Forest Culture in the Amazon Basin. Subsequently, through the Valdivia period, these villages assumed an increasingly ceremonial function, while much of the population was dispersed among small settlements scattered along the river valleys. The Early Formative thus apparently witnessed a transformation in settlement, from nucleated villages to a dispersed peasantry surrounding ceremonial centers, and this is characterized as a perhaps seminal, first step in the evolution of the great ceremonial centers of Nuclear America. While the outcome of this evolutionary process in Mesoamerica and the central Andes is well known, it seems to have had little impact in Ecuador: at the end of the Valdivia period, ceremonial activity at the old village sites appears to have ceased, while population seemingly remained dispersed.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society
(1878) · Nature · doi:10.1038/017199b0 · Cited by 1,045 · see citing works
Kolb, C. C., & Ucko, P. J. (1973) · Man · doi:10.2307/2800336 · Cited by 640 · see citing works
Hunting and Gathering in Tropical Rain Forest: Is It Possible?
Bailey, R. C., HEAD, G., Jenike, M. R., OWEN, B., Rechtman, R. B., & ZECHENTER, E. (1989) · American Anthropologist · doi:10.1525/aa.1989.91.1.02a00040 · Cited by 371 · see citing works
Parmana: Prehistoric Maize and Manioc Subsistence along the Amazon and Orinoco
Doolittle, W. E., & Roosevelt, A. C. (1983) · Geographical Review · doi:10.2307/214400 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
The El Niño Cycle: A Natural Oscillator of the Pacific Ocean—Atmosphere System
Graham, N. E., & White, W. B. (1988) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.240.4857.1293 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Early Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador: The Valdivia and Machalilla Phases
Meggers, B. J., Evans, C., & Estrada, E. (1965) · Smithsonian contributions to anthropology · doi:10.5479/si.00810223.1.1 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
The Preceramic Las Vegas Culture of Coastal Ecuador
Stothert, K. E. (1985) · American Antiquity · doi:10.2307/280325 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Antiquity of Maize Cultivation in Ecuador: Summary and Reevaluation of the Evidence
Pearsall, D. M., & Piperno, D. R. (1990) · American Antiquity · doi:10.2307/281650 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Ancient Ecuador : culture, clay and creativity, 3000-300 B.C.
Lathrap, D. W., Collier, D., & Chandra, H. S. (1976) · Field Museum of Natural History eBooks · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Roosevelt, A. C. (1980) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-595350-4.50010-4 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Sponsel, L. E. (1986) · Annual Review of Anthropology · doi:10.1146/annurev.an.15.100186.000435 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Light, Stable Isotopes and the Subsistence Base of Formative Cultures at Valdivia, Ecuador
van der Merwe, N. J., Lee‐Thorp, J. A., & Raymond, J. S. (1993) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-02894-0_3 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Carrying Capacity and Dynamic Equilibrium in the Prehistoric Southwest
Zubrow, E. B. W. (1971) · American Antiquity · doi:10.2307/278666 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
The San Pablo Corn Kernel and Its Friends
Menéndez, C. Z., Galinat, W. C., Lathrap, D. W., Leng, E. R., Marcos, J. G., & Klumpp, K. M. (1977) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.196.4288.385 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Architecture of the Early Valdivia Village
Damp, J. E. (1984) · American Antiquity · doi:10.2307/280361 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Settlement and Population Trends in the Basin of Mexico (Ixtapaluca and Zacatenco Phases)
Tolstoy, P. (1975) · Journal of Field Archaeology · doi:10.1179/009346975791490917 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Damp, J. E., Pearsall, D. M., & Kaplan, L. (1981) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.212.4496.811 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Pre-Valdivia Occupations on the Southwest Coast of Ecuador
Bischof, H., & Gamboa, J. V. (1972) · American Antiquity · doi:10.2307/278963 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Maize Recovered at La Ponga, an Early Ecuadorian Site
Lippi, R. D., Bird, R. M., & Stemper, D. M. (1984) · American Antiquity · doi:10.2307/280516 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Environmental Variation, Agriculture, and Settlement Processes in Coastal Ecuador (3300-1500 B.C.)
Damp, J. E. (1984) · Current Anthropology · doi:10.1086/203087 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Man and the Mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum
McKinnon, N. A., & Stuart, G. S. L. (1987) · doi:10.11575/prism/37013 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Evidence of Early Formative Settlement in the Guayas Basin, Ecuador
(1980) · Current Anthropology · doi:10.1086/202557 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
The Persistence of Prehispanic Chiefdoms on the Rio Daule, Coastal Ecuador
Stahl, P. W., & Stemper, D. M. (1995) · Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute · doi:10.2307/3034701 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Arid landscapes and environmental transformations in ancient Southwestern Ecuador
Stahl, P. W. (1991) · World Archaeology · doi:10.1080/00438243.1991.9980151 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Valdivia : un sitio arqueológico formativo en la costa de la Provincia del Guayas, Ecuador
Estrada, E., & Swett, J. E. (1956) · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Extension of niche theory in human ecology: three patterns of niche occupation
Eighmy, J. L., & Jacobsen, R. B. (1980) · American Ethnologist · doi:10.1525/ae.1980.7.2.02a00040 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Tejidos hechos en telar en un Contexto Valdivia Tardío
Marcos‐Marcos, J. (1973) · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Prehistoric settlement patterns in the Valdivia Valley, southwest coastal Ecuador
Schwarz, F. A. (1987) · Libraries and Cultural Resources (University of Calgary) · doi:10.11575/prism/12824 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citation(1976)
David, N., Faris, J. C., & Wenzel, M. (1972) · Man · doi:10.2307/2800019
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 22
- Bischof Henning, 1982, Primer Simposio de Correlaciones Antropologicas Andino-Mesoamericano, 135
- Blandin Landivar C., 1977, El Clima y sus Caractensticas en El Ecuador
- Ford James A, 1969, A Comparison of Formative Cultures in the Americas. Smithsonian Institution Contributions to Anthropology
- Lathrap Donald W, 1968, Man the Hunter, 23
- Lathrap Donald W, 1970, The Upper Amazon
- Lathrap D. W., 1977, Archaeology, 30, 2
- Marcos Jorge G, 1973, Cuadernos de Historia y Arqueologia, 287
- Marcos J. G., 1976, Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin, 47, 3
- Momsen R, 1968, Revista Geográfica, 69, 91
- Norton Presley, 1982, Primer Simposio de Correlaciones Antropológicas Andino-Mesoamericano, 101
- Pearsall Deborah M, 1988, Diet and Subsistence: Current Archaeological Perspectives, 149
- Piperno Dolores R, 1988, La Prehistoria Temprana de la Península de Santa Elena, Ecuador: Cultura Las Vegas. Miscelánea Antropolôgica Ecuatoriana Serie Monográfica, 203
- Garces Porras, 1973, El Encanto-La Puná, Un sitio de la fase Valdivia asociado a un conchero anular. Ediciones Huancavilca
- Garces Porras, 1983, Arqueologia: Palenque, Los Ríos, y La Ponga, Guayas
- Raymond J. Scott, 1988, Diet and Subsistence: Current Archaeological Perspectives, 159
- Raymond J. Scott, 1993, El Mundo Ceremonial Andino. Senri Ethnological Series, 25
- Stahl Peter W, 1985, Status, Structure and Stratification, 31
- Stothert Karen E, 1988, La Prehistoria Temprana de la Península de Santa Elena, Ecuador: Cultura Las Vegas. Miscelánea Antropológica Ecuatoriana Serie Monográfica
- Stothert Karen E, 1993, Un Sitio de Guangala Temprano en el Suroeste del Ecuador
- Willey Gordon R, 1971, An Introduction to American Archaeology, Volume 2: South America
- Zeidler James A, 1986, Arqueologia de la Costa Ecuatoriana: Nuevos Enfoques. Biblioteca Ecuatoriana de Arqueologia, 85
- Zeidler James A., 1994, Regional Archaeology in Northern Manabí, Ecuador
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Regional Settlement Pattern Studies
Kowalewski, S. A. (2008) · Journal of Archaeological Research · doi:10.1007/s10814-008-9020-8 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Evaluating Mobility, Monumentality, and Feasting at the Sapelo Island Shell Ring Complex
Thompson, V. D., & Andrus, C. F. T. (2011) · American Antiquity · doi:10.7183/0002-7316.76.2.315 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Household Archaeology in the Andes
Nash, D. J. (2009) · Journal of Archaeological Research · doi:10.1007/s10814-009-9029-7 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Iriarte, J., DeBlasis, P., de Souza, J. G., & Corteletti, R. (2016) · Journal of Archaeological Research · doi:10.1007/s10814-016-9100-0 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
The Archaeology of Food and Social Inequality in the Andes
Cuéllar, A. M. (2013) · Journal of Archaeological Research · doi:10.1007/s10814-012-9061-x · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Zeidler, J. A. (2008) · The Handbook of South American Archaeology · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-74907-5_24 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Iriarte, J., Copé, S. M., Fradley, M., Lockhart, J. J., & Gillam, J. C. (2012) · Journal of Anthropological Archaeology · doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2012.10.003 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Global Patterns of Early Village Development
Bandy, M. (2008) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8539-0_13 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Sea Fishing at Salango (Manabí Province, Ecuador) During the Middle Formative Machalilla Phase
Béarez, P., Gay, P., & Lunniss, R. (2012) · Latin American Antiquity · doi:10.7183/1045-6635.23.2.195 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Reassessing the developmental and chronological relationships of the formative of coastal ecuador
Staller, J. E. (2001) · Journal of World Prehistory · doi:10.1023/a:1012565115782 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Moore, J. D. (2010) · Latin American Antiquity · doi:10.7183/1045-6635.21.2.147 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Pearsall, D. M., Duncan, N. A., Jones, J. G., Friedel, D. E., Veintimilla, C. I., & Neff, H. (2016) · The Holocene · doi:10.1177/0959683616638421 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Entre mar y tierra: desarrollo dual de las poblaciones prehispánicas del manabí meridional, ecuador
Graber, Y. (2010) · Bulletin de l’Institut français d’études andines · doi:10.4000/bifea.1786 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
EL PERIODO FORMATIVO EN LOS ANDES SEPTENTRIONALES Y SUS RELACIONES CON LOS ANDES CENTRALES
Mesía-Montenegro, C. (2014) · Arqueología y Sociedad · doi:10.15381/arqueolsoc.2014n27.e12198 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Entre Vegas y Valdivia: la fase San Pedro en el suroeste del Ecuador
Bischof, H., & Gamboa, J. V. (2006) · Bulletin de l’Institut français d’études andines · doi:10.4000/bifea.3922 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Ceramic variation and negotiated communities in the Late Valdivia phase of coastal Ecuador
Rowe, S. M. (2016) · Journal of Anthropological Archaeology · doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2016.05.007 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Aux origines du « Señorio de Salangome »
Graber, Y. (2008) · Les Nouvelles de l archéologie · doi:10.4000/nda.298 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Deslindes lingüísticos en las tierras bajas del Pacífico ecuatoriano. Primera parte
Rendón, J. G. (2010) · Antropología Cuadernos de investigación · doi:10.26807/ant.v0i10.49 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Refining the Chronology and Occupation Dynamics of the Mound Villages of South-Eastern Acre, Brazil
Iriarte, J., de Souza, J. G., Robinson, M. E., Barbosa, A. D., & da Silva, F. (2021) · Amazônica - Revista de Antropologia · doi:10.18542/amazonica.v13i1.9005 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Lunniss, R., & Ubelaker, D. H. V. (2024) · Latin American Antiquity · doi:10.1017/laq.2023.59 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Reitz, E. J., Sandweiss, D. H., & Cannarozzi, N. R. (2019) · Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History · doi:10.58782/flmnh.yppn3669 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Toulkeridis, T., Ortiz-Aguilu, J. J., Espinoza, F. D., ZEIDLER, J., Páez-Barrera, G. T., Debut, A., & Santacruz, N. A. C. (2026) · GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites · doi:10.30892/gtg.67347-1859 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Late Northwest South American Littoral
Engwall, E. (2001) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-0525-9_20
(1998) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-012557180-7/50008-4
Tipología del comportamiento del consumidor de prendas de vestir en la ciudad de Manta
Zambrano Roldán, K. E. (2023) · Universidad de Córdoba Insitutional Repository (Universidad de Córdoba)
- Authors
- Schwarz, F. A., & Scott Raymond, J.
- Venue
- Journal of Field Archaeology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1996-01
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 205-224
- ISSN
- 0093-4690 (ISSN-L)
- 2042-4582
- OpenAlex
- W2055716220
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 6.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Field Archaeology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory
- Social Sciences › Archeology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Historical Studies in Central America
- Keywords
- Formative period, Valdivia culture, settlement patterns, nucleated villages, ceremonial centers, Amazon basin, Ecuadorian archaeology, pre-Columbian settlement
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
