Sealing, Flavoring, Trade Item, Incense?: The role of Conifer Resin in the Pre-Columbian Caribbean

Elements of ritual, choice, taste, trade, and agency in the use and processing of conifer and other plant resins at the El Chorro de Maita site in Cuba and the Jacana site in Puerto Rico will be investigated using absorbed pottery residue analysis. This archaeometric analysis revealed that 21 of 27 residues from el Chorro de Maita and 6 of 22 residues from the Jacana site contained signatures for plant (and particularly conifer) resin--despite the fact that there are no coniferous trees on Puerto Rico.

Sealing, Flavoring, Trade Item, Incense?: The role of Conifer Resin in the Pre-Columbian Caribbean Presentation