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Cited by 1Maritime and Coastal ArchaeologyAmazonian Archaeology and EthnohistoryHistorical Studies in Central America

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El proyecto Tumaco. Un programa de investigación arqueológica en la costa del Sur de Colombia

Open access
Bouchard, Jean-François·1978·Bulletin De l’Institut Français D’études Andines
DOI 10.3406/bifea.1978.1498
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Abstract

Cet article présente le projet Tumaco, recherche archéologique menée actuellement par l’Institut Français d’Études Andines sur le littoral pacifique du Sud de la Colombie. L’auteur rappelle les connaissances déjà acquises par des travaux antérieurs dans cette région et indique les principaux thèmes de recherche retenus par le projet. Il importe en effet de définir pour cette région un cadre chronologique et de rechercher les limites géographiques de la “culture Tumaco”. D’autre part, il est nécessaire d’étudier les éventuels contacts entre cette culture et les cultures voisines, tant du littoral voisin que des hautes terres. Enfin, le projet Tumaco cherchera à retrouver les modèles d’établissement et de subsistance propres à cette région pendant l’époque précolombienne.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This report presents the objectives of the "Proyecto Tumaco," an archaeological research program launched in October 1976 by the French Institute of Andean Studies' archaeological mission on the Pacific coast of southern Colombia, defined as the study of pre-Columbian human occupation of that region. The available text covers the project's rationale and a review of prior research; the sections on the project's specific research themes and fieldwork are listed in the plan but not included in the text provided.

Key findings

  • The Pacific coast of Colombia is described as one of the least known archaeologically: only two archaeological investigations had been carried out north of Buenaventura, and only two scientific works were dedicated to the Tumaco culture, both in the extreme south between the río Mira and the southern border.
  • Apart from those two excavations, known Tumaco material was recovered through *huaquería* (clandestine digging), so there is no precise data on its provenance or archaeological context; the material consists almost exclusively of ceramic figurines, with practically no good vessel samples.
  • Cubillos' excavation at Monte-Alto (1955) identified two occupation periods, the later one corresponding to the greatest development of the Tumaco culture; neither period could be dated or linked to other Colombian cultures, and Cubillos proposed Mesoamerican origins via frequent contacts rather than a single migration.
  • Reichel-Dolmatoff's excavation of a midden on the río Mataje yielded a C14-based sequence of three periods: Mataje I ending 400 BC, Mataje II from 300 BC to 10 AD, and Mataje III (undated); he related Mataje I to the Cauca valley and Mataje II to the Catanguero site on the lower río Calima, and considered the Tumaco culture undoubtedly of Mesoamerican origin, arriving in several waves.

Methods

  • Design: a program of archaeological research (survey/excavation and laboratory work) on the Pacific littoral of southern Colombia, formulated to align with research priorities expressed by the Instituto Colombiano de Antropología.
  • Data: review of prior work in the region, including Cubillos' Monte-Alto excavation, Reichel-Dolmatoff's Mataje midden excavation with C14 dates, and the Spanish Mission's 1970–1976 project in Esmeraldas, Ecuador (Alcina-Franch 1971, 1972, 1973).
  • Analysis: the text provided is a statement of project goals and a synthesis of earlier findings; the sections on the project's own themes (chronological and geographic limits of the Tumaco culture, coastal–Andean relations, settlement and subsistence models) and on its laboratory and excavation work are listed in the plan but not present in the text.

Limitations

  • Not stated in the paper (in the text provided); the paper's own limitations section is not included.
  • Evident from the text: this is an uncorrected OCR rendering and only a partial portion of the article (pages 39–42 of 39–48), so sections 3 and 4 — the project's research themes and its actual fieldwork and results — are missing, and no findings from the Proyecto Tumaco itself are reported here.
  • Evident from the text: the author notes that the Esmeraldas project's synthesis had not yet been published, that Reichel-Dolmatoff's Mataje excavation was never published in detail, and that Meggers' hypothesis about the La Tolita mounds remains unverified due to the scarcity of scientific excavations at that site.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3406/bifea.1978.1498

Cites

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 1 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Interpretationreasoning
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    The composition of the known Tumaco material may explain the absence of a general study of Tumaco ceramic forms, apart from Cubillos's study at Monte-Alto.

    “Este dato puede explicar la ausencia de un estudio general de las formas de cerámica Tumaco, aparte del estudio realizado por Cubillos a raíz de la excavación del sitio arqueológico de Monte-Alto, (Cubi¬ llos, 1955).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Cubillos, 1955

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    Only two archaeological investigations were carried out in the part of the Pacific coast north of Buenaventura.

    “en esta región se realizaron solamente dos investigaciones arqueológicas para la parte que queda al Norte de Buenaventura”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Premisereasoning
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    The Pacific coast of Colombia is one of the least known regions from an archaeological point of view.

    “Es importante subrayar él hedió que la costa pacífica de Colombia es una de las más desconocidas desde el punto de vista arqueológico.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 11
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 6

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    A distinction was made between fisher-gatherer settlements, agricultural settlements, and urban or semi-urban settlements.

    “Cabe mencionar la distinción hecha entre los asentamientos de pescadores-recolectores, los asentamientos de agricultores y los asenta¬ mientos urbanos o semi-urbanos.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    Two other scientific works were dedicated to the Tumaco culture, both located in the extreme south of the country, between the Mira river and the southern border.

    “dos otros trabajos científicos fueron precisamente dedicados a la Cultura Tumaco, ambos tuvie¬ ron lugar en el extremo Sur del país, entre el río Mira y la frontera meridional”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    Neither of the two occupation periods found by Cubillos at Monte-Alto could be dated or related to other Colombian cultures.

    “Ninguno de ios dos períodos pudo ser fechado ni relacionado con otras culturas colombianas.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    Chronologically, Cubillos's excavation at Monte-Alto was the first carried out on the Pacific coast.

    “Cronológicamente la excavación de Cubillos en Monte-Alto fue la pri¬ mera que se hizo en la costa pacífica.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisereasoning
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    The known Tumaco material consists almost exclusively of ceramic figurines, and there are practically no good vessel samples for this zone.

    “este material se compone casi exclusiva¬ mente de figurillas de cerámica y prácticamente no existen buenas muestras de vasijas para esta zona.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisereasoning
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    Meggers's hypothesis that the mounds of the La Tolita site could be more recent than the figurines found there does not appear to have been verified yet, due to the scarcity of scientific excavations at the site.

    “esta hipótesis, que supone varios modelos de asentamiento en el mismo sitio, no parece haber sido compro¬ bada todavía debido a la escasez de excavaciones científicas en este sitio.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisereasoning
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    The material known as Tumaco culture, except that from the two excavations, was obtained through looting (clandestine excavations), so there is no precise data on its exact provenance or its archaeological context.

    “el material conocido corno de cultura Tumaco, exceptuando el que proviene de estas dos excavaciones, fue conseguido por medio de huaquería, o sea de excavadones clandestinas, y por lo tanto no hay datos precisos sobre su procedencia exacta, ni sobre el contexto arqueoló¬ gico que le corresponde.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    The Esmeraldas-La Tolita culture and the Tumaco culture present such similar and even identical features that many archaeologists believe they are in fact one and the same culture.

    “la cultura Esmeraldas-La Toíita y la cultura Tumaco presentan rasgos tan semejantes y hasta idénticos que muchos arqueólogos creen que se trata en realidad de una sola y misma cultura.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    The Spanish Mission's research project in Esmeraldas was carried out from 1970 to 1976.

    “Entre estos trabajos, sobresale el proyecto de investigación llevado a cabo por la Misión Española en Esmeraldas, de 1970 a 1976.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisereasoning
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    Because it is very recent, the Spanish Mission's Esmeraldas project has not yet reached publication of a synthesis of its studies.

    “Por ser muy reciente, este proyecto no ha llegado todavía a la publicación de la síntesis de los estudios.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    The second scientific work in this region was carried out by Reichel-Dolmatoff and was not published in detailed form.

    “El segundo trabajo científico en esta región fue realizado por Reichel-Dolmatoff y no llegó a ser publicado en forma detallada.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

    Premisenone given
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    Ceramic decorated with red parallel lines appears to be a very typical feature of the settlements of this zone.

    “También es de notar la importancia de la cerámica decorada con líneas paralelas rojas, que parece ser un rasgo muy típico de los asentamientos de esta zona.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    From C-14 dates, Reichel-Dolmatoff established a chronological sequence of three distinct periods: Mataje I ending in 400 BC, Mataje II from 300 BC to 10 AD, and Mataje III (undated).

    “A partir de fechas obtenidas por el método del C.14, Reichel-Dolmatoff pudo establecer la siguiente secuencia cronológica que consta de tres perío¬ dos distintos: Mataje I, que termina en 400 a.c., Mataje II, de 300 a.c. hasta 1 0 d.c., Mataje III, (no fechado).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premiseown data
    § 2. Trabajos anteriores

    A midden located on the banks of the Mataje river, near the Ecuadorian border, was excavated.

    “Se excavó en esta ocasión un basu¬ rero ubicado en las márgenes del río Mataje, cerca de la frontera en el Ecuador.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
14 of 14

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Metadata

Authors
Bouchard, J.-F.
Venue
Bulletin De l’Institut Français D’études Andines
Publisher
PERSEE Program
Published
1978
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
39-48
ISSN
0303-7495 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3406/bifea.1978.1498
OpenAlex
W4312927135
Cited by
1
References
0
Citations by year
2023: 1
FWCI
0.00
Type
journal article
Language
fr
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-sa
Locations
  • Bulletin de l’Institut français d’études andines (publishedVersion)
  • Périodiques Scientifiques en Édition Électronique (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Historical Studies in Central America
Keywords
pre-Columbian archaeology, chronology, cultural boundaries, cultural contact, settlement patterns, subsistence, Andean archaeology

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