La Playa (SON:F:10:3) is an archaeological site in Sonora, Mexico that contains the remains of an extensive preceramic earthen irrigation canal system. Modern floodplain erosion has destroyed the majority of these canals, but geoarchaeological investigations on areas of the system that remain reveal much about this early agricultural technology. Comprehensive dating using accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C on gastropods, charcoal, and soil humates and single‐grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on canal sediments revealed that multiple irrigation systems were used at La Playa during at least two periods during the Early Agricultural period (~750–350 B.C. and ~ A.D. 50–250). ¹⁴C and OSL age estimates from canals are in agreement with the earliest direct dates on maize from La Playa (A.D. 20–240), indicating that the introduction of maize corresponds to a significant investment in the modification of the floodplain environment for canal irrigation. The late phase of canal use (~A.D. 50–250) occurs before destructive floodplain erosion at the site. This is contemporaneous with local cultural changes, including the development of a new ceramic tradition, changes in burial practices, and changing subsistence strategies. These results demonstrate the utility of the combined ¹⁴C and OSL approach for dating ancient earthen canals.

中文翻译：

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墨西哥索诺拉州La Playa厂区土制灌溉渠的综合技术测年

La Playa（SON：F：10：3​​）是墨西哥索诺拉（Sonora）的考古遗址，里面有大量的陶瓷前土制灌溉渠系统。现代洪泛区的侵蚀已摧毁了大部分运河，但对仍然存在的系统区域进行的地质考古调查揭示了这种早期的农业技术。使用加速器质谱仪¹⁴ C对腹足动物，木炭和土壤腐殖质进行全面定年，并对运河沉积物进行单粒光学激发发光（OSL）定年，结果表明，在农业早期，至少在两个时期内在La Playa使用了多种灌溉系统（约750-350 BC和〜AD 50-250）。¹⁴运河的C和OSL年龄估计与La Playa上最早的直接玉米日期一致（公元20–240年），表明引入玉米对应于对洪泛区环境进行灌溉的重大投资。运河使用的后期阶段（〜AD 50-250）发生在该地区破坏性洪泛区侵蚀之前。这与当地文化的变化同时发生，包括发展新的陶瓷传统，改变墓葬的方式以及改变生存策略。这些结果证明了结合¹⁴ C和OSL方法对古代土渠定年的实用性。