Neutron Activation Analysis in Archaeological Pottery from Mendoza, Central Western Argentina.

SUGRAÑES, N.; OTS, MA. JOSÉ; GLASCOCK, M.; NEME, G.

Ceramics of the Indigenous Cultures of South America: Studies of Production and Exchange through Compositional Analysis

University of New Mexico Press

Lugar: New Mexico; Año: 2019; p. 221 - 230

Hunter-gatherer and small farmer groups in Mendoza province (central western Argentina) developed separate technologies to make ceramics ca. 2000 years BP. The Atuel and Diamante River basins were considered the frontier between the two kinds of societies. The external attributes of ceramics show different manufacturing processes and decoration. Mobility patterns and exchange systems that linked the human populations in the region are discussed. In this study, we use neutron activation analysis of pottery sherds from two different areas in Mendoza province to identify chemical groups that illuminate interaction patterns on the Andean agricultural frontier. Compositional groups were identified for each area. One group is found inboth areas, indicating movement of goods across the frontier. Also, different patterns were recognized in the lowlands and highlands, with the latter being associated with pottery from the western side of the Andes.