Japoto : une métropole régionale tardive dans la province côtière du Manabí (Équateur)

Abstract

Japoto, located in the Central coast of Manabi, Ecuador, is a type of site formed by artificial mounds dating back to the last Pre-Hispanic period (from AD 700-800 until the Spanish Conquest). It belongs to the Manteña civilizations, a very important cultural group of this coast which controlled the Ecuadorian Pacific coast and the sea traffic. Several important ceremonial sites have given, in the past, information about this group, but our study is devoted to a huge site which is a regional town settled in the low alluvial plain of the first river of the centre of Ecuador. Therefore, it deals with daily life and domestic aspects which had not been given greater place in the Ecuadorian archaeology until now.

Keywords

• architecture
• artificial mounds
• Ecuador
• Manteña culture
• tolas