Magnetic Prospection of the Pre-Columbian Archaeological Site of El Caño in the cultural region of Gran Coclé, Panama

ABSTRACT The archaeological site of El Caño is located in the cultural region of Gran Coclé and is one of the most important pre‐Columbian ceremonial complexes of the Isthmus of Panama. El Caño is 3.57 ha in area presents a set of mounds and alignment of columns of carved basalt and tuff. The first organized occupation is dated between 100 and 400 bc, and this occupation lasted until the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. In order to determine the spatiotemporal organization of the site, the first magnetic and electrical surveys of this archaeological site were performed in 2005 and 2006. Although the resistivity mapping survey did not offer any information about buried stone structures, the magnetic survey in gradiometer mode produced well‐characterized magnetic anomalies. A circular magnetic anomaly in the central area of the site allowed the discovery of one of the largest Panamanian pre‐Columbian funerary complexes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.