The systematic analysis of prehistoric community organization has been slow to develop in the lowlands of South America and the West Indies. This is a product of two factors: (1) a predominant concern among archaeologists with the origins, spread, and complexity of the populations that inhabited the region; and (2) the logistical constraints on doing archaeology in the tropics. In recent years, archaeologists working in the lowlands have expanded their range of investigations to include ancient communities as legitimate foci of concern. In doing so, serious methodological challenges must be confronted in delineating site sizes, settlement layouts, and occupational histories. It is not acceptable to blindly import methods or techniques developed for other world-areas; we must experiment with and design approaches that are uniquely appropriate for getting at community organization in the tropical lowlands. In this paper, I review the problems, constraints, and challenges of studying community organization in the neotropics. A case study is offered using the Maisabel site, a large Saladoid/Ostionoid village on the north coast of Puerto Rico.

Problems and constraints

The major factor hindering community-oriented archaeology in the tropics can probably be narrowed down to one word: visibility. Tree growth and ground cover vegetation mitigate the effectiveness of surface surveys in the tropics (see Zeidler, this volume).