How lake sediment records inform archaeology: examples from the Americas and potential future applications in Colombia

Paleolimnology, the study of lake and wetland sediments, provides a powerful means of reconstructing long-term interactions among climate, environment, and human societies. Drawing on examples from across the Americas, where sediment records have clarified the environmental contexts and ecological consequences of agriculture, deforestation, hydraulic engineering, and demographic change, this paper examines how such archives can strengthen archaeological interpretation. Sediment sequences preserve stratified, independently dated evidence of hydroclimatic variability, vegetation change, fire history, erosion, nutrient loading, and other indicators of anthropogenic disturbance that are often inaccessible through archaeology alone. Focusing on Colombia, this note argues that paleolimnological data can significantly enhance interpretations of pre-Hispanic societies such as the Tairona, Zenú, Muisca, Calima, Quimbaya, Tierradentro, San Agustín, and Tumaco-La Tolita. Although Colombia has a long tradition of paleoecological research, most previous studies emphasized natural Holocene climate and vegetation change rather than explicitly addressing archaeological questions. The paper therefore proposes an integrated research agenda using multiproxy sediment records to investigate land use, water management, fire, soil erosion, metallurgy, and the environmental dimensions of social change. Colombia’s rich prehistory and abundant sediment archives make it an exceptional setting for this interdisciplinary approach.