Different Shades of Early Shamanism in the Upper Amazon
Archaeological Interpretations July 7, 2020 DOI: 10.5744/florida/9780813066448.003.0006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Archaeological excavation and site analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Excavations at Santa Ana–La Florida in Palanda, Ecuador, reveal a ceremonial center occupied for over 5000 years, with a sunken plaza and two east-west platforms. The eastern platform held a round ritual structure and several tombs; one tomb's elaborate paraphernalia leads the authors to suggest it belonged to a shaman. |
Abstract
Recent archaeological research in the upper Amazon region, on the frontier between Ecuador and Peru, has discovered a new pre-Columbian culture, now known as the Mayo Chinchipe-Marañón society. The most important site that has been studied until now is Santa Ana–La Florida (SALF), located in Palanda (Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador), where an Early Formative period ceremonial center has been studied for over a decade. This site has been occupied for over 5000 years. The ceremonial center has an architectural layout centered around a sunken plaza, with two platforms placed at each end on an east-west axis. The eastern platform served as the base of a round structure that contained evidence of ritual activities. Several tombs have been located in the body of the platform. One, however, stands out for its extraordinary paraphernalia, which suggests the presence of a very relevant individual: a shaman.