Distribución espacial y paisajística de los asentamientos prehispánicos en el Alto de Toche, Colombia
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study documents the spatial distribution of archaeological terraces and contemporary pre-montane and montane Wax Palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense) forests located in Alto de Toche, locally known as “Tochecito.” Although the area lacks previous archaeological investigation in Colombia, it preserves a significant anthropogenic landscape associated with cultural processes dating to approximately 8000 BP, consistent with evidence documented along the eastern slopes of the Central Andes.Fieldwork employed a typological and topological classification framework based on location, elevation, surface area, solar orientation, and slope gradients. Data were collected through in situ survey, drone-based digital photogrammetry, and satellite image analysis. This methodology was applied to three clusters of tambos—terraces associated with residential occupation—located at the sites of La Carbonera, Gallego, and Las Cruces.The archaeological features are situated within the mid- to upper-Andean forest belt, between 2,600 and 3,000 m above sea level, where the largest and highest terraces are concentrated. Their spatial configuration suggests relationships with east–west solar orientation, pre-Hispanic ecological knowledge, vertical exploitation of Andean altitudinal zones, and sociocultural landscape transformation. Their proximity to the Toche River and Tochecito River micro-watersheds and to the trail system that later formed the historic Camino del Quindío further indicates strategic patterns of mobility and settlement.GIS-based spatial analysis enabled the reconstruction of a geoarchaeological landscape in which 37 previously undocumented sites were identified, 20 of them above 2,800 masl. The results were also disseminated to the local community through an ArcGIS Online web application.
Source: REVISTA CUHSO
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7222436457