The impacts of cattle introduction in Colonial Puerto Rico

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​In this presentation I propose a plan for examining the environmental impacts that cattle introduction had in Puerto Rico by combining geoarchaeological and historical methods. During the sixteenth century hides became one of the most profitable commodities to be produced in the Caribbean. For the bigger islands of the Antilles, it has been reported that these early populations proliferated, leading to underground economies based upon their exploitation. Cattle management and products associated with it, is the longest prevailing economic activity in the island, starting with the early colonial settlements in the sixteenth century through the present. Through the analysis of historical accounts complemented with analysis of sedimentation rates and changes in vegetation associated to grazing in various sites in the island from the sixteenth century onward, I will explore how the presence of cattle played a role in transforming Puerto Rican environments. This study is part of a broader effort to elucidate the long history of human occupation (the Historical Ecology) and its transformations to the landscapes of Puerto Rico.

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