Microarchaeological contributions to the South American past

Microarchaeology plays a fundamental role in contemporary archaeology by enabling the analysis of sites and materials at a microscopic scale, revealing information that is inaccessible through traditional methods. Using microarchaeological techniques, archaeologists can obtain high-resolution data about the daily lives, technological practices, and human-environment interactions of past societies. This lecture will present case studies of current microarchaeological research in South America to illustrate how this approach can expand our understanding of past cultural and technological processes. The case studies cover diverse topics such as the formation processes of late Pleistocene sites, the various strategies of landscape management among coastal and inland mound builders, the adaptation of past societies to catastrophic events, the development of new technologies of pottery production, and the engineering of mudbrick (adobe) architecture.