Settlement Chronology and Subsistence Patterns in Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

ABSTRACT

Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP), within the East Cape of Baja California Sur, Mexico, is the location of a highly productive rocky reef ecosystem that was likely attractive to people throughout the Holocene. AMS radiocarbon dates from sites along the coast and faunal data from two excavated sites, D20 and D27, indicate people were present in the region by at least 7120–6755 cal b.p. (D34), but evidence of persistent occupation and possibly higher population densities postdates 2110–1945 cal b.p. (D27, Unit 1). The most prominent sites with intact stratified archaeological deposits appear to be focused adjacent to prominent rocky points, where assemblages include a variety of marine mollusks, fish, birds, terrestrial and marine mammals, and sea turtle remains. At both D20 and D27, there is evidence people targeted small fishes including sardines, likely with nets. This study highlights the strong archaeological potential in CPNP to address questions about human coastal adaptations and population history during the Holocene, emphasizing the importance of protecting cultural resources in an area at risk from growing tourism and residential development.

KEYWORDS:

• Baja California Sur
• Cabo Pulmo
• coastal adaptations
• radiocarbon
• shell middens

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) and Cabo Pulmo National Park, including Carlos Godinez Reyes and Abigail Reynoso Altamirano, for assistance with permissions and logistical help in initiating fieldwork. Fieldwork and laboratory analysis were funded by Santa Clara University and the University of Nevada, Reno. Kirk Schmitz assisted with site visits, sample collection, and excavation, and Andrea Hernández assisted with excavation. Enah Fonseca assisted with compiling references for past work in Baja California. Judge Daniel Weinstein assisted with logistics and housing, and Henri op den Buys and Pilu Hermosillo assisted with logistical support, including storage of excavated materials in Cabo Pulmo during the period of travel restrictions during the COVID 19 pandemic. Thank you also to Christina Luke and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on our manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher S. Jazwa

Christopher S. Jazwa (Ph.D. 2015, Pennsylvania State University) is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research interests include island and coastal archaeology, human behavioral ecology, radiocarbon dating, and stable isotope ecology.

Amira F. Ainis

Amira F. Ainis (Ph.D. 2019, University of Oregon, RPA) is an Assistant Professor at California State University, Los Angeles. Her research interests include diachronic adaptations to coastal and island ecosystems, marine paleoecology, marine historical ecology, prehistoric fisheries, and archaeomalacology.

Ryan B. Anderson

Ryan B. Anderson (Ph.D. 2014, University of Kentucky) is an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at Santa Clara University and a Research Associate at the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz. His research interests include coastal anthropology, political ecology, coastal conservation and development, and sea level rise adaptation.

Karim Bulhusen Muñoz

Karim Bulhusen Muñoz (B.A. in progress, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico) is an archaeologist working in Baja California Sur. Her research interests are coastal archaeology, archaeomalacology, and marine ecology.

Emmanuel Reyes Estrada

Emmanuel Reyes Estrada (B.A. in progress, Escuela Nactional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico) was an archaeologist working in Baja California Sur. His research interests were coastal archaeology, lithic analysis, biological anthropology, and archaeological illustration. Emmanuel passed away in July 2023 during archaeological survey. He was a good person and a talented young archaeologist, and we miss him.

Harumi Fujita

Harumi Fujita (B.A. 1985, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico) is an archaeologist at the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Her research interests include settlement patterns, subsistence activities, and peopling of the peninsula of Baja California.