Beyond the Green: Characterizing Copper Artifacts from the Yaguachi Chiefdom, Guayas, Ecuador

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This presentation showcases results from research on the metallurgical traditions of the Yaguachi chiefdom, a regional polity within the Milagro-Quevedo society that thrived in the Guayas Basin, Ecuador, between 400 and 1400 CE. Despite the region's apparent lack of local metal sources, the presence of copper alloys and other metals in burial sites suggests extensive trade networks and metallurgical expertise. This research focuses on several metal artifacts from the Vuelta Larga burial mound. It employs energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDS) to analyze their composition and understand their cultural significance. These analyses reveal a diverse range of copper alloys, indicative of various metallurgical practices that might correlate with the artifact’s social status and function. Moreover, the alloy types align with known metallurgical traditions from contemporary Andean societies, suggesting interregional exchange and influence. This analysis enhances our understanding of the Yaguachi chiefdom's metallurgical practices, trade networks, and social hierarchy, contributing to broader discussions on precolumbian metalworking in the Andes. The study also underscores the need for further metallurgical analysis in Ecuador to fully elucidate the complexities of regional interactions and technological innovation during the Integration period. ***This presentation will include images of human remains.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51962