Building techniques during the Late Intermediate Period. The case of the chullpa structures in Coranzulí (Jujuy, Argentina)

RIVET, M. CAROLINA

Conceptualising Materials and Techniques: Technology and the Making of Andean Societies

University College London

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2017;

This paper aims to analyze the results of archaeological investigations at a number of sites with late pre-hispanic and colonial occupation in the area of Coranzulí (Puna de Jujuy, northwestern Argentina).These sites are characterized by the presence of more than one hundred chullpas, positioned in relation to residential areas and agricultural infrastructure. The research conducted involved an architectural analysis, especially focusing on the study of the building techniques, to investigate the logics and associated sensory engagement that may have been associated with these structures. The study considers topics such as the disposition of building materials and the technical gestures used in construction to identify the actions and presence of different builders.The association between chullpas and ancestors means that the techniques selected in terms of morphology, materials and finishings, were producing and reinforcing the concepts that defined these ancestors and the type of relationships that their descendants continued to engage in. This requires us to take as a basis the fact that the technical choices are culturally defined and, therefore, cannot be dissociated from the frames of meaning in which they were inserted.