Trans-Holocene coastal occupations at the Faro Punta Marquez site, Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico

Excavations at the Faro Punta Marquez (FPM) site reveal occupations spanning the Holocene from ∼10,600 cal BP to a couple of hundred years ago. Shellfish remains indicate a reduction of estuary and mangrove habitats associated with climatic shifts and sea-level stabilization during the Early–Middle Holocene transition. Shellfish assemblages demonstrate flexible harvesting strategies as early occupations are marked by bivalves associated with mangrove and estuary habitats (i.e., Larkina, Anadara, Chione) while Middle and Late Holocene assemblages indicate people were harvesting rocky boulder associated taxa almost exclusively. We document trans-Holocene occupations of the coastal Magdalena Plains and present the earliest reported AMS radiocarbon dates for the southern Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur contributing to our understanding of coastal adaptations in the region and the initial peopling of the peninsula, including whether this occurred by coastal and/or terrestrial routes, or both.