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Abstract
Obsidian Hydration Dating has continued to be seen as a viable dating method withinarchaeology to establish relative chronology for sites with obsidian artifacts. The prospect of a relatively fast and comparatively inexpensive dating method compared to established chronometric dating technologies such as radiocarbon dating could offer researchers an acceptable method to establish relative chronology for obsidian artifacts that could be used independently or as an adjunct to other chronometric methods. There are limitations and challenges with this dating technique due to factors such as elevation, aridity, and temperature which affect the hydration rate and the applied hydration band measurements of obsidian samples and the geographic locations where this technique could be applied. One of the more significant archaeological research areas where this technology has not been extensively researched is the Pambamarca region of northern Ecuador. In this research study, I apply obsidian hydration dating to compare hydration band measurements for 51 obsidian artifact specimens collected from one pre-Cayambe early site, two late Cayambe fort sites, two Inka fort sites, and one Colonial site within the Pambamarca region of northern Ecuador. The majority of hydration band measurements for the samples collected from the six Pambamarca sites demonstrate relative band thickness measurements that align with estimated site occupation dates. The findings corroborate the utility and viability of this dating method for Pambamarca obsidian samples and support the need for ongoing obsidian hydration dating research initiatives.