Pottery production, circulation and exchange during the Formative period in Tarapacá, northern Chile

Summary

In the area commonly known as Pampa del Tamarugal, in the middle portion of the Atacama Desert, the valleys of Tarapacá, Guatacondo, and the oasis of Quillagua have been important spaces for characterizing the Formative period in northern Chile. In this paper, we present the results of pottery analyses from this region, comprised by samples obtained from residential and ceremonial contexts, as well as transitory sites along prehispanic routes (Fondecyt Project 1130279). The purpose of these analyses is to offer a detailed examination of the ceramic technology of the period through integrated approaches, including traditional typological classifications and quantitative characterizations, as well as compositional analyses aimed at understanding the chemical and petrographic qualities of the different ceramic types of the area. These results provide new data for the study of the development of pottery during this period in Tarapacá, as well as its links to the Formative as a historical phenomenon in the South Central Andes, allowing us to discuss and interrogate the processes of production, movement and exchange of pottery from ca. 900 BCE to 900 CE.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Ceramics of the Indigenous Peoples of South America: Studies of Production and Exchange using INAA

Keywords

Spatial Coverage