Zooarchaeological remains are the focus of this study of subsistence, settlement, economics, and politics on the Ecuadorean coastal plain. Surprisingly intensive exploitation of marine resources for both food and the production of ornamental items is documented, in the case of sites immediately adjacent to the coastline as well as farther inland. Deer and other animals were hunted, and the relative importance of agricultural production varied through time and across the region. Complete text in English and Spanish.