SDCAS Mini Conference – Three Presentations: Camelid Coprolite: Reconstructing Virú Pastoralism through Phytolith Analyses of Chicama Valley Archaeobotanical Taxa (Kira Lavine), San Diego’s Waterfront: A GIS Visualization of Coastal Change (Erica Esquer and Carol Oordt); Mitchell Caverns Historical Inscriptions (Mandie Carter)

Speakers: Kira Lavine, Erica Esquer & Carol Oordt, & Mandie Carter

Camelid Coprolites:

Reconstructing Virú Pastoralism through Phytolith Analyses of Chicama Valley Archaeobotanical Taxa Originating from the Viru Valley of northern Peru, Virú state (ca. 200 B.C.E. - 700 C.E.) was the earliest state to expand and establish colonies in the Moche and Chicama Valleys (Millaire et al. 2016). Iconic to Andean cultures, camelids such as llamas feature prominently in archaeological faunal assemblages across the region (Szpak et al 2020, 2014; Hultquist et al 2024). In 2023, Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica de Puerto Malabrigo (PIAPM) excavated household structures at the Virú colony in Puerto Malabrigo, Chicama. As a coastal settlement, the colony had access to various local resources; floodplain crops (e.g., Capsicum sp., Zea mays, Phaseolus sp.), wild desert-dune taxa (e.g., Solanaceae, Prosopis spp.), and wetland plants (e.g., Cyperaceae, Poaceae). Opaline microfossils of plant cells, phytoliths, are proxies for diet through microbotanical analysis of camelid coprolites (Piperno, 2006). Analysis of these coprolites offer insight into Virú agriculture and husbandry practices (Shahack-Gross 2010; Billman 2021). Additionally, phytolith reference collections for Andean taxa are improved through extraction and documentation of phytoliths from macrobotanical samples excavated by PIAPM. In this paper, we consider how phytolith insights from camelid coprolites can reveal foddering practices at Virú-Malabrigo (ca. 50 B.C.E. to 223 C.E.) and consider Virú-herder influence on coastal camelid diets. This project aims to reconstruct Virú camelid pastoralism through phytolith analysis, exploring the dynamic human-animal relationship with resource exploitation while contributing to a reconstruction of the paleoenvironment in the archaeological record.

Kira Lavine (Faculty Advisor: Dr. Zachary Dunseth, UC San Diego)

San Diego’s Waterfront: A GIS Visualization of Coastal Change:

The San Diego shoreline has changed significantly over the past 120 years, and we can visualize these shifts by comparing historical maps with modern aerial imagery and using GIS tools to identify the areas where the waterfront has transformed the most. This project georeferences early 20th-century topographic maps and mid-century aerial imagery to trace the evolution of the shoreline from roughly 1900 to the present. By digitizing historic shorelines and major fill zones, the analysis highlights how land reclamation, dredging, military expansion, and harbor development reshaped the cultural landscape of this Pacific port city. The resulting maps illustrate a visual GIS-based reconstruction of San Diego’s “lost waterfront” and demonstrates how historical cartography can be integrated with modern spatial tools to better understand the city’s coastal past.

Carol Oordt is originally from San Antonio. She earned both her BA and her MA in Anthropology from William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Her MA thesis focused on shell tool use in the Society Islands and incorporated a multidisciplinary approach that combined experimental archaeology, use-wear analysis, microfossil analysis, and ethnohistorical research. After completing her MA, Carol relocated to Honolulu and began working for ASM Affiliates. During her time there, she had the opportunity to work across multiple Hawaiian islands, including Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Kauai. She lived in Honolulu for approximately three and a half years before recently relocating to San Diego.

Erica Esquer is a GIS professional specializing in environmental consulting, cultural resource management, and geospatial analysis. She works in a GIS leadership role at ASM Affiliates supporting projects throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. Her background includes work supporting archaeological, and utility-related projects through cartography, field data collection systems, spatial analysis, and GIS workflow development. Erica earned her B.A. in Anthropology from San Diego State University and has several years of experience integrating GIS into interdisciplinary environmental and cultural resource management projects. She is particularly interested in using GIS, historical imagery, and spatial data to better understand landscape change and improve collaboration across teams.

Mitchell Caverns Historical Inscriptions:

Mitchell Caverns, in Providence Mountains State Recreation Area (PMSRA), has been a tourist attraction since Jack and Ida Mitchell first improved the limestone caves and offered tours to the public in the 1930s. During a recent storm, the park interpreter observed rainwater exposing inscriptions on the cave walls. To date, more than 15 inscriptions have been photographed using distilled water to remove overlying dust buildup. Research has linked these inscriptions to US Army and Marine Corps soldiers during WWII, local visitors, and the Mitchell family themselves. These inscriptions provide an otherwise undocumented connection to the cave which enriches the site’s history. This paper will discuss the site, recordation process, and active research, as well as plans for future work. Mandie Carter is a San Diego City College and San Diego State University alumna; she has been an Archaeological Specialist with California State Parks Southern Service Center since 2024. Her research focuses on historical and contemporary period cultural landscapes in the desert southwest.