| In this dissertation, I examine the processes of agricultural intensification during the Formative period (1500 B.C.--A.D. 300) on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia, located in the Lake Titicaca Basin of Andes. In this region, intensification has been identified and measured through the study of ancient field systems particularly raised-fields and terraces. In this investigation, I consider patterns in plant remains to examine the potential role of other intensification strategies such as tilling, fertilization with animal dung, weeding, and crop diversification.;In order to identify these patterns, I conducted an ethnobotanical study of modern-day farming on the Taraco Peninsula among four Aymara communities. Through this study I identified how local climate and its variability shape agricultural practices such as the planting schedule, field maintenance, and land use. In particular, I found that farmers plant across a variety of soil types to mitigate crop loss due to floods or drought. I also identified how particular intensification practices such as tilling and fertilizing impact the local flora, and collected the plant species for reference to the archaeological record.;To determine if there was botanical evidence for intensification in the Formative period, I examined carbonized plant remains recovered by the Taraco Archaeological Project at the site of Kala Uyuni, which spans the Early Formative (1500--800 B.C.), Middle Formative (800--250 B.C.), and Late Formative 1(250 B.C.--A.D. 300) periods. I found that people cultivated quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and tubers (possibly Solanum tuberosum and Oxalis tuberosa) throughout all phases, with tubers becoming more important in the Late Formative period. Examining patterns in the weedy species quinoa negra ( Chenopodium quinoa var. melanospermum), I found that people weeded and carefully processed quinoa crops as early as the Early Formative period. Finally, a marked increase in the richness and diversity of weed species in the Late Formative period suggests that farmers intensified production by employing practices such as decreased fallow, tilling, and possibly fertilizing with camelid dung.;In this study, I also found that through time at Kala Uyuni people procured local plant foods, such as quinoa, tubers, and edible cacti to support communal, "special occasion" activities. The macrobotanical remains suggest that "exotic", imported plant foods did not play an important role in these early activities. Overall, this study demonstrates that the Formative period residents of the Taraco Peninsula intensified local agricultural production to support increasing populations and possibly mitigate climatic variation. They did so by employing practices to improve production of available land, but without the creation of raised-fields or terraces. |
