ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the ongoing project in the Chiriquí Province of western Panama. Three of the plates: the Cocos, Nazca, and Caribbean interact beneath the Pacific side of western Panama, creating frequent seismic activity. The chapter focuses on the modern contexts of Nyiragongo and Volcán Barú that shows a deep texture to the landscape relations in volcanic regions that are not simply environmental or catastrophic. Archaeological assessments frequently note the volcano's catastrophic potential to transform the landscape, contribute to soil fertility, or create useful stratigraphic ter-mini post quem. The anthropological divisions between archaeology and socio-cultural anthropology unhelpfully divide spheres of information that can fruitfully inform one another. The Volcán Barú is prominently discussed in the most systematic archaeological investigations of Panama region, which were completed in the early 1970s. Inability to divorce natural and cultural elements from one another in the investigation of natural disasters or hazard's studies is becoming prevalent in academic discussion.
