Buried in the pantry: using archaeoentomology to assess cave reuse at the pre-Hispanic site of Cruz de la Esquina

Abstract

Entomology, the study of insects, is an integral part of modern forensic science and can also make substantial contributions in archaeology. Here, the authors report on archaeoentomological analyses conducted within the Cruz de la Esquina funerary cave (Acusa Seca, Gran Canaria, c . seventh–ninth centuries AD), offering insights into Indigenous practices. The identification of storage pests and various cadaveric species is used to interpret a change in function for the cave, transitioning from an earlier storage area to a burial site, and to suggest that bodies were deposited in the cave immediately after death, challenging previous assumptions about prolonged exposure.