Towards the development of a tropical geoarchaeology: Lagoa Santa as an emblematic case study

Abstract

Geoarchaeology in tropical environments has specificities that place it within a context of differential analysis. High temperature and humidity variation, the strong role played by bioturbation, the presence of deep soil profiles, and the expressive chemical alteration of the materials are some of the features of these environments. In the Lagoa Santa region, several important geoarchaeological discussions during the Origins project have approached issues related to the tropical environments, highlighting: (1) the formation processes inside rockshelters, (2) the investigation of a major event of abandonment of the region by human groups during the Middle Holocene (the "Archaic gap"), (3) the processes of formation of open-air sites, and (4) the question of the possible coexistence between humans and extinct megafauna. Including the work of researchers from different areas of knowledge, the studies generated a great richness of data and extensive discussion, which culminated in fundamental publications for the development of geoarchaeology in tropical environments.