High-mountain plant use and management: macro-botanical data from the pre-Hispanic sites of Chasogo and Cruz de Tea, 13–17th centuries AD, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

Abstract

There is little direct archaeological evidence as to the agriculture and plant gathering of the Guanches, the indigenous population of the Island of Tenerife (3rd–15th century CE). The current study presents the findings of the first systematic samplings and analyses of macro-botanical remains (wood charcoals and seeds) from Guanche contexts in Tenerife. The remains come from two recently excavated, well-contextualised sites, Chasogo and Cruz de Tea, ranging between the 13–17th centuries AD. This timeframe coincides with the last phase of the indigenous occupation and the period of colonisation by Europeans. The sites are in the Cañadas del Teide National Park, a highland volcanic caldera at c. 2000 m a.s.l. The results of this study, based on archaeobotanical identifications coupled with radiocarbon datings, suggest that most of the finds correspond to wild plants collected for food, fuel, and possibly timber. Noteworthy are the seeds of Cistus cf. osbeckiifolius which certifies the vital role of this local edible plant. Pinus canariensis and Visnea mocanera were also gathered for consumption while woody legumes and pines served for fuel and timber. Spartocytisus cf. supranubius may also have been consumed in the form of seeds. The only evidence of a crop plant consumed by the Guanches is barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare). This crop, poorly represented, must have been brought to these sites from the lowlands where it was cultivated. The different data suggest a highly mobile pastoral population taking part in seasonal activities such as rotary quern making.