Compositional Study of Pre-Hispanic Ceramics from Eastern Bolivia

Summary

Ceramics from three archaeological areas in the dry lowlands of eastern Bolivia were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The resulting compositional data were analyzed statistically to identify potential patterns of manufacture and distribution. Samples were selected from three archaeological areas investigated prior to construction of the Bolivia-Brazil Natural Gas Pipeline in 1997-1998: 1) Rio Grande; 2) Bañados del Izozog; and 3) an inter-riverine area in the Gran Chaco National Park some 180 km east of the Bañados del Izozog. Radio Carbon dates associated with the potter finds indicate dates between AD 900 and AD 1300, an unexpectedly early date for pottery use in this dry and presently inhospitable zone. Results of the data analysis are most consistent with a hypothesis that ceramic circulation along the study area was rare during the time periods represented at the sampled sites. In each of the three archaeological zones, all pottery samples fall into a single compositional group, and the most parsimonious interpretation is that each of the three groups contain ceramics that were produced using local raw materials.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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