Metallurgy at the Pacopampa Site

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Social Dynamics in the North Highlands of Peru during the Formative Period: Pacopampa project’s Contribution for Understanding the Early Complex Societies in the Andes" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The excavations and subsequent analysis of the unearthed artifacts have provided evidence of metal smelting and metalworking at the Pacopampa site. Although the production workshop remains unidentified, it has been confirmed that materials presumed to have been produced through metallurgical processes were excavated from rooms on the third platform with restricted access. Furthermore, the discovery in 2014 of a tomb containing ore powder was buried along with gold ornaments suggests that the elite may have controlled the entire process, from the acquisition of raw materials to smelting and processing.

This presentation will report on the metallurgy conducted at the Pacopampa site during the middle to late Formative period, drawing on the analysis of excavated artifacts, as well as geological and experimental studies. It will also endeavor to elucidate the actual conditions of metallurgy at the site and examine them through the lens of elite control.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Social Dynamics in the North Highlands of Peru during the Formative Period: Pacopampa project’s Contribution for Understanding the Early Complex Societies in the Andes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50549