ABSTRACT
This chapter presents soil micromorphology as a useful methodology for better understanding neotropical archaeological contexts. It has been used for diverse cultural periods in various geographic regions of the world, but has only very recently been applied to the neotropics, and even more recently in Amazonia, for pre-Columbian sites now under rainforest. Through a few examples from French Guiana, this chapter focuses on the potential and limits of micromorpho-logical research to better understand the activities of pre-Columbian societies. In archaeological contexts, soil micromorphology is essential to distinguish between anthropogenic features and those derived from soil formation processes. It involves the identification, description and interpretation of the microscopic features and components of the different soils. It takes part of a global geoarchaeological and environmental analysis and can be applied to historical-ecological studies.
