Abrigo de Carabali

Folder Type:

Archaeology Site

Primary Title:

Abrigo de Carabali

Alternate Title: Abbreviation

Carabali

Summary Description:

In addition to searching for sites using systematic random transects aligned perpendicularly to the River Santa María, the directors of the Proyecto Santa María followed the practice of selecting specific areas for purposive surveying in the expectation of finding sites that would help resolve major research questions outlined at the outset of the project (Cooke and Ranere 1992). Rock outcrops with perceived potential for housing habitable rock-shelters were one such target since, before 1991, four small shelters in Chiriquí and two in Coclé had provided stratified cultural deposits going back to Preceramic (6000 cal BP): (1) Casita de Piedra, Trapiche, Zarsiadero and Horacio González in the upper drainage of the River Chiriquí (ca 800 masl), (2) Cueva de los Ladrones near the River Grande, Coclé, at 300 masl on the flanks of a large hill (Cerro Guacamayo), and (3) the Aguadulce Shelter in the coastal plains of Coclé not far from the town of Aguadulce. The four River Chiriquí rock-shelters and an open-air site (Hornito-1), located by Ranere and Cooke in the 1970s, contained cultural deposits characterized by a lithic industry of mostly basalt and andesite tools (Talamanca Phase). These were attributed to small family groups of hunter-gatherers. A later industry (Boquete), in which amorphous silicas were now the prevalent raw materials and a wider array of ground stone implements was used, continued to about 2300 cal BP. [More recent research by Ruth Dickau demonstrated that Talamanca Phase peoples were actually farmers, who grew maize (Zea mays), manioc (Manihot esculenta), arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea), coontie starch (Zamia) and yams (Dioscorea)] (Dickau et al. 2007, 2012). During their initial reconnaissance of the Santa María drainage in November, 1991, Ranere and Cooke noticed a prominent elongated hill (Agrigo Carabalí) that lies eastwards of the River Gatú, an affluent of the River Santa María. This hill lies north of the large township of San Francisco, and reaches an elevation of ca 300 masl. It looked to be a promising location for rock-shelters. The base rock belongs to the Cañazas Formation (Upper Miocene) consisting of andesitic and basaltic lavas intermingled with tuffs and volcanic ash. In the dry season of 1983, when an east-west transect (the San Francisco Transect) was surveyed in the vicinity, a search team consisting of Wilson Valerio, Craig Neidig, Francisco Corrales and Doris Weiland located five overhangs in the north-eastern sector of Abrigo Carabalí (SF-5, SF-6, SF-7, SF-8 and SF-9). Small test pits indicated that SF-9 had the greatest potential with a dry floor of ca. 70 m2. The site identifier Abrigo Carabalí was assigned to it. A large boulder divides the shelter into two components akin to chambers. A small test pit (1 x 1 m) excavated that same year on the eastern side of the boulder, and another on the western side (SF-9B) showed that only the uppermost 30 cm contained sherds, and that below this, cultural deposits lacked pottery (Valerio 1985, 1987). Valerio decided to open a trench at SF-9 in 1987, and to use his analysis of lithic materials as the basis for his licenciatura thesis at the Universidad de Costa Rica (Valerio 1987). The shelter talus begins at the drip line. The initial 5o slope increases to ca. 13 o at the end of the 10 m= long stratigraphic trench. Valerio gridded the site out into 1m2 squares assigned letters on the north-south axis and numbers on the east-west axis. The 1983 trench occupied squares 20 G-P. The 1 x 1 m test excavated in the western chamber in 1983 was assigned letter F. Valerio opted to excavate with arbitrary layers of 5 m, exclusively with small hand tools. As in the case of other Panamanian rock-shelters the cultural materials accumulated on the dryish floor were considerably more shallow than those beyond the talus slope whose thickness increased downslope. Two very different stratigraphic members characterize the deposit. The lower one has a reddish tone. Thus it was designated the “red zone”. It does not contain potsherds in the section below the large boulder. The ‘brown zone” above it, however, does contain sherds

Actor: Project Owner

Cooke, Richard

PID	Type	Title	Metadata	URL
si_2754952		Carabali wall of the shelter	TitleInfo/title Carabali wall of the shelter Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, showing the wall of the shelter and boulders in front underneath cultural layers. Identifier CAR_s_0001.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754954		Carabali trench terminated	TitleInfo/title Carabali trench terminated Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, showing the long trench terminated with Wilson Valerio on the picture. Identifier CAR_s_0003.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754955		Carabali trench wall	TitleInfo/title Carabali trench wall Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, detail of the trench wall showing cultural layers lying over large rocks. Identifier CAR_s_0004.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754956		Carabali excavation	TitleInfo/title Carabali excavation Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, laying out excavation during the dry season. Wilson Valerio aside the trench. Identifier CAR_s_0005.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754957		Carabali long trench	TitleInfo/title Carabali long trench Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, outward end of long trench during the dry season. Identifier CAR_s_0006.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754958		Carabali excavation	TitleInfo/title Carabali excavation Abstract Carabali rock-shelter laying out excavation during the dry season. Identifier CAR_s_0007.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754959		Carabali lay out	TitleInfo/title Carabali lay out Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, laying out excavation during the dry season. Identifier CAR_s_0009.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754960		Carabali rocks	TitleInfo/title Carabali rocks Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, trench wall showing large rocks. Identifier CAR_s_0010.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754961		Carabali excavation	TitleInfo/title Carabali excavation Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, laying out excavation during the dry season. Identifier CAR_s_0011.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754962		Carabali excavation	TitleInfo/title Carabali excavation Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, laying out excavation during the dry season. Identifier CAR_s_0012.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754963		Carabali long trench	TitleInfo/title Carabali long trench Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, excavation of long trench during the dry season. Wilson Valerio on the picture. Identifier CAR_s_0013.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754964		Carabali test cut	TitleInfo/title Carabali test cut Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, excavation of test cut, section B. Identifier CAR_s_0014.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1983 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2754965		Carabali rock-shelter	TitleInfo/title Carabali rock-shelter Abstract Carabali rock-shelter, excavation of long trench, dry season, 1984, Wilson Valerio on the picture. Identifier CAR_s_0015.jp2 OriginInfo/dateCaptured 1984 Location/physicalLocation Panama Location/holdingSimple[2]/copyInformation/subLocation Veraguas	Download
si_2764659		Stratigraphic and functional analysis of Carabali (SF-9): A rock shelter in the central region of Panama	TitleInfo/title Stratigraphic and functional analysis of Carabali (SF-9): A rock shelter in the central region of Panama Name Wilson Valerio Lobo Name/role Author TypeOfResource text OriginInfo/dateIssued 1987 Language/languageTerm spa Abstract Thesis to opt for the degree of Anthropology with an emphasis in Archeology of the University of Costa Rica. PhysicalDescription/form text Subject/hierarchicalGeographic/continent North America	Download