Las Vegas culture (archaeology) facts for kids
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Location of the Las Vegas culture in Ecuador
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| Geographical range | Santa Elena Peninsula |
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| Period | Archaic |
| Dates | c. 8000 – 4600 BCE |
| Type site | Site No. 80 |
| Followed by | Valdivia culture |
The Las Vegas culture was a group of ancient people who lived near the coast of what is now Ecuador. They lived there a very long time ago, from about 8000 BCE to 4600 BCE. Their name comes from a main settlement, called Site No. 80. This site was near the Las Vegas River, in the area of today's Santa Elena city. These people were among the first in the area to settle down in one place. They learned to live well in their coastal environment, which had many different natural features. The Las Vegas culture is important because they were one of the first groups in South America to start farming.
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Where They Lived
The Las Vegas culture lived along the coast of Ecuador on the Santa Elena Peninsula. They were there from about 8000 BCE to 4600 BCE. This makes them one of the earliest known settlements in Ecuador. They are famous for being among the first to grow wild squash and maize (corn).
The Santa Elena peninsula is a dry coastal area. It stretches for about 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) along the Pacific coast of South America. The city of Santa Elena gets only about 250 millimeters (10 inches) of rain each year. Most of this rain falls from January to March.
The weather is mild because of the cool Humboldt Current. Temperatures average about 23°C (73°F) all year. The plants near the coast are mostly desert plants, like cacti. Further inland, there is more rain, and the plants become more varied. The land changes from desert to a dry forest that has seasons.
A Changing Environment
Ten thousand years ago, the sea level on the Santa Elena peninsula was 30 meters (98 feet) lower. This means the Las Vegas settlements were further from the coast than they are now. Some old settlements might even be covered by the sea today. The dry climate and desert plants likely stayed the same for about 10,000 years.
Around 7,000 years ago, sea levels started to rise. This made the land area where the people lived smaller. The changing environment affected how the Las Vegas people found food. Their diet changed between the early and late periods. Animal remains show a dry, forested area. It did not get enough rain to become a wet forest. Plant remains also support this idea. Grass and shrubs, which grow in dry places, were found in large amounts.
The long dry season was good for growing maize. Rising sea levels and the dry season might have encouraged the Las Vegas people to start farming. They also gathered more food from the ocean.
Las Vegas Settlements
Archaeologists have found 32 Las Vegas sites on the Santa Elena peninsula. These sites are spread over an area about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) east to west and 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north to south. Most of them are along the Rio Grande river and its smaller rivers, including the Las Vegas River. There are probably more similar sites along the Ecuadorian coast that have not been found yet.
Before sea levels rose, the coasts had mangrove swamps. Clams from these mangroves were an important part of the Las Vegas diet. As the sea levels went up, the mangroves seemed to disappear. After about 6000 BCE, mangrove clams became much less common in the food remains found at Las Vegas sites.
Daily Life and Tools
Humans were present on the Santa Elena peninsula as early as 8800 BCE. But the Las Vegas culture really grew starting around 8000 BCE. Archaeologists divide the Las Vegas culture into two periods:
- Early Las Vegas: 8000 to 6000 BCE
- Late Las Vegas: 6000 BCE to 4600 BCE
The Las Vegas people did not use pottery. This means they were a "pre-ceramic" culture. The sites found by archaeologists suggest that people built their homes on low hills. These spots allowed them to easily reach both ocean and land resources. Animal bones found at these sites show that about half of their protein came from land animals. The other half came from sea animals. Human remains also suggest that the people were healthy.
During the Early Las Vegas period, families were small and mostly self-sufficient. They moved from one place to another to find seasonal food. Their houses were small and simple. They gathered wild plants, hunted, and fished in different areas. These areas included the desert, dry tropical forests, and the Pacific coast. They hunted many animals like deer, fox, rabbits, small rodents, and peccaries. They also ate frogs, snakes, parrots, and lizards. They gathered crabs and other shellfish from the coast. The Las Vegas people were skilled hunters and gatherers. They used many different food sources and did not rely on just one.
During the Late Las Vegas period, sea levels rose. This brought ocean resources closer to their settlements. At the same time, large game animals became harder to find. This might have made the Las Vegas people settle down more. They started to collect more reliable food sources. This settled lifestyle could have led to the start of farming. Living in one place also helped communities grow stronger. People likely relied on each other more to find enough food. They spent more time hunting, gathering, and tending to crops. Sharing food in these communities was an early form of the sharing practices seen in later Andean cultures.
Late Las Vegas people continued to hunt and gather. But they relied more on fish and shellfish from the ocean. Catching fish far from shore suggests they might have used boats. They made many tools from stone and bone. They found bone points and a spatula that might have been used for making nets or weaving. They also used shells, wood, bamboo, reeds, and bark to make tools and containers.
Burial Customs
Burial customs changed a lot in the Late Las Vegas period. Burials only happened at two main sites: Site 80 and Site 66/67. The bodies of people who died elsewhere were brought to these sites for burial. This suggests that these two main sites became important base camps and ceremonial centers. Other sites might have been used only at certain times of the year. Families moved around to hunt, fish, or gather wild plants.
A closer community could explain the burials found at Site 80. As people formed stronger bonds, new practices and beliefs might have developed. There is not much evidence about their rituals. But we know that the burials were done on purpose and happened often. Most burials show evidence of both first and second burials. In the first burial, a body was placed in a grave with its knees bent. Later, the bones from these burials were dug up and placed in another burial.
Early Farming
The Santa Elena peninsula is a dry area with little surface water. This might not seem like a good place for ancient farming. But the Las Vegas people were among the first in South America to farm. Farming did not replace fishing, hunting, and gathering. Instead, it added to these traditional ways of getting food.
The earliest farmed crops might have been the calabash (bottle gourd) and leren. Leren is a tropical root crop that probably did not grow naturally in the Santa Elena area. Evidence shows they were grown and domesticated around 7000 BCE. A type of squash might have been farmed even earlier. Tiny plant fossils (phytoliths) of squash date back to 8000 BCE.
Archaeologists were surprised to find that maize (corn) was grown in the Las Vegas area by about 4600 BCE. Maize first came from Mexico and then spread to other places. Even earlier dates for farming were found by scientists in 2008. Their information suggests that early farming started around 9,000 BCE. Maize was already present by 5,500 BCE.
One study stated: "Maize was introduced to Ecuadorian coastal populations already familiar with plant cultivation. At the preceramic Vegas site (OGSE-80), phytolith assemblages, which included bottle gourd (Lagenaria spp.), the root crop llerén (Calathea spp.), and domesticated-size squash phytoliths, were directly dated to 11,210–9,900 cal B.P., with maize present in directly dated phytolith assemblages to ≈7500 cal B.P."
Another study also found that maize was used by the Las Vegas culture around 8053-7818 years ago.
Maize in South America
Scientists have debated where maize was first planted in the Americas. Was it in lowlands, mid-elevations, or highlands? Also, was the first maize in South America brought to lowlands or higher places?
New information suggests that humans brought maize to the upper lowlands of northwest Colombia between 8997 and 8277 years ago. Later, people brought maize to the mid-elevation forests of the Colombian Andes by 8000-7600 years ago.
In the 21st century, archaeologists studied the Cubilan area in Oña Canton, Ecuador. Recent studies found maize starches on grinding tools from about 8078-7959 years ago (around 6,000 BCE). This is the oldest evidence of maize in the highlands of South America.
What Happened to the Las Vegas Culture?
Archaeologists have not found any evidence of humans on the Santa Elena peninsula for 1,000 years after 4600 BCE. Around 3500 BCE, the Valdivia culture appeared in the same area where the Las Vegas people lived. We do not know what happened to the Las Vegas people.
See also
In Spanish: Cultura Las Vegas para niños
