Table 1_Tropical arboriculture and root crop cultivation in the volcanically active landscape of ancient Arenal, Costa Rica.docx

Although deposits of volcanic ash can be initially detrimental to fauna and flora, after the tephra has weathered it can become a very fertile, mineral-rich soil that is suitable for cultivation of food and other resources. Paleoethnobotanical data collected from the ancient domestic structures at La Chiripa (c. 1500 BCE) and the Sitio Bolívar village (c. 500 CE) provides a diachronic perspective of human-plant engagement in the region.

The macrobotanical dataset (seeds, fruits, geophytes, and wood charcoal) reveal a subsistence strategy that was dominated by a diverse assemblage of forest-based products and root crops supplemented by minimal agricultural foods such as maize, beans, and squash. Larger flora, such as fruit trees, and underground root crops would have been reliable sources of food that could withstand most volcanic episodes that occurred every few centuries.