Between the native and the exotic: first archaeobotanical evidence for the colonial city of Ibatín (Tucumán, Argentina)

Abstract

This work presents the first results obtained by studying an archaeobotanical record of the city of San Miguel de Tucumán (1565-1685), recovered in archaeological excavation campaigns -during 2021 and 2022-. Analysis of micro (phytoliths) and macro-remains (charcoal) was carried out identifying native species, such as Anadenanthera colubrina (cebil), Geoffroea deconticars (chañar), Neltuma alba (white carob), Salix humboldtiana (criollo willow), Zea mays (corn), and exotic species such as Citrus aurantium L. (sour orange tree). It was possible to survey the management of these plants in a Spanish domestic unit and, in this sense, the results show the incorporation and naturalization of exotic flora in the city area, as well as the continuity in the use of certain native species. The articulation of different lines of evidence allowed us to show thechanges that occurred in the natural landscape of the area, also linked to the socioeconomic modifications generated by the Spanish conquest.