Current Research

Since 1993, Cristina Scattolin (University of Buenos Aires [UBA]) and Joan Gero (then of U South Carolina; as of 1/98 at American University) have been working together in the province of Catamarca, northwest Argentina, in a side valley of the better-known Santa Maria Valley (for which Santa Mariana pottery is named).Their study region is called Valle del Cajon, and based on a valley-wide reconnaissance in 1993, the early Formative site of Yutopian was selected for excavation. Two seasons of excavations have been undertaken in the area—1994 and 1994, and a third is scheduled for 1998.

The site consists of a densely populated ridge, approximately 300 m in length, which is covered with small, mostly well-preserved structures and enclosures. Site testing has shown that the entire site was occupied by Early Formative structures, but subsequent occupation has covered large portions of the southern and middle parts of the ridge, leaving the northern areas undisturbed. Work has concentrated on this northernmost portion, where clearly defined clusters of structures define discrete "household" groups; one cluster of three structures has been completely excavated. Remarkably intact occupation floors were encountered 90–110 cm below the surface. Work is underway on a second cluster.

Within the first household cluster, significant differences have been noted between individual "rooms." Only one has a well-defined hearth, accompanied by a cluster of large morteros, whole cooking and serving vessels, and a rich array of ethnobotanical remains, including whole beans and corn kernels (analyzed by the ethnobotanical labs at Berkeley) and faunal remains (under analysis by Willy Mengoni of UBA). Most intriguingly, there is evidence that the hearth in this structure was used not only for cooking but also for small-scale bronze production. The second "room" is full of discarded and broken tools and vessels, with refits showing little stratigraphic integrity. The third "room," again well preserved, contains more grinding and food-processing evidence, but in a less clustered manner and without a hearth. We look forward to seeing if this pattern recurs in a second household cluster.

Work at Yutopian has been funded by CONICET of Argentina, the University of South Carolina, Fulbright funding, and an on-going Wenner-Gren Foundation International Collaborative Award.

Proyecto Arqueológico Calchaqui (PAC) carried out fieldwork in the Calchaqui Valley (Salta Province, northwestern Argentina) in June–July 1997. Terence D'Altroy, Veronica Williams, two doctoral candidates from Columbia University of New York , and two undergraduate students from the Universidad Nacional de Salta (Argentina) conducted excavations, surface collection, and mapping of the site of the 9-ha Cortaderas Alto site. The site comprises a fortress, a dense group of buildings at the top of a hill, groups of storage buildings, several residential areas, and burial sectors. As of this writing, Veronica Williams was an intern at the Missouri Research Reactor (University of Missouri, Columbia) where she was completing neutron activation analysis (NAA) on 310 samples of Inka pottery from different sites located in northwestern Argentina and the Bolivian highlands. This NAA analysis is part of a larger project entitled "Provisioning the Inka Economy in Kollasuyu: Inka Ceramic Production and Distribution in the Southern Andes." This project is designed to investigate the Inka economy in the southern Andes by examining the production and distribution of ceramics used in state activities. It constitutes one stage of a long collaborative international research project on the Inka empire, conducted by scholars from the United States and Argentina. [Submitted 11/97]

Eduardo Ribotta (Instituto de Arqueología y Museo, Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, Argentina) conducted research at the El Remate site in Los Zazos, Amaicha Valley (Tafi del Valle, Tucuman, northwestern Argentina). Sites in the area were described in the early 1900s, and very few research took place since then. They are located in an ecological area between, and different from both the Tafi and the Santa Maria Valleys. Aerial photographs and field survey indicate that there are numerous sites from several periods. Al El Remate, field survey included andenes and probable lithic quarries. Ribotta completed a planimetric survey of most of the site, excavated three test pits, and surface collected the entire site. During the surface collections, material from inside structures was kept separate from materials in between structures. These materials are currently being analyzed. El Remate apparently has two different temporal occupations dating to the Formative period. There is some evidence for a probable change in settlement patterns between the two periods. Materials at the site are related to those characteristic of the Tafi and Cienaga cultures. Samples were submitted for radiocarbon dating.

For several years, Lidia C. Garcia (CONICET, Instituto de Ciencias Antropológicas, UBA) has been conducting ethnoarchaeological and archaeological research in the Azul Pampa region of Jujuy province, northwestern Argentina. Ethnoarchaeological information is mainly used to model Early Formative occupations of the same region. Results are being compiled by L. Kuznar (Indiana University, Fort Wayne). Sites under study represent some of the earliest known Formative occupations at caves and rockshelters in a Puna environment. The earliest materials have been found at Inca Cueva Alero 1 Rockshelter (3,700 MASL), which date to 2900 +/- 70 B.P. (Beta-25116). Also, as part of the French Archaeological Mission, Tomayoc Rockshelter was excavated at a higher altitude (4,200 MASL). There, the first ceramic occupation was found at level IIIG, and dated to 2950 +/- 50 B.P. (Gif-8368). The results were to be published in the IFEA 26(2) bulletin, 1997. These and later contexts at the same locations are being studied and compared in order to understand social change. Investigation focuses on the use of space, use of local vs. foreign resources, and ceramic technology. Also, staff in the Instituto's Archaeology Section plan to built a ceramic technology experimental lab. They are interested in replicating artifacts in order to observe the production processes and behaviors involved as well as use, discard, wear, and recycling of ceramics, under carefully controlled scientific conditions. Archaeological method and theory students from UBA are participating in the ceramic technology lab project. [Submitted 12/97]

During 1993 and 1994, Jorge Sosa (Museo Etnográfico, Buenos Aires) carried out a teledetection study of archaeological remains using aerial photographs (scale 1:50,000) in the Amaicha del Valle (Tucuman) zone. This zone, to the east of the Santa María Valley, occupies 630 square km. The study was of great interest because little is known about the archaeology of this zone, even though it is favorable to human occupation and lies in a natural pass between the valley and the eastern forest and pastures. Sosa's work produced excellent results; 700 areas containing archaeological remains were encountered. It was possible to establish a relative chronology of these areas, based on the study and analysis of their architectural components, building densities, forms, sizes and settlement patterns. It was possible to distinguish among sites representing Formative, Regional Development, and Inka period occupations. The period best represented by archaeological materials was that of Regional Development. This project explored a method that has heretofore been undeveloped in Argentina, in spite of the enormous possibilities it sets for archaeology. In the future, Sosa plans to conduct a sample survey of the sites located through teledectection, in order to establish control data for the project. [Submitted 1/98]