Formative Period and Present-Day High Altitude Agriculture at Yutopian, Northwestern Argentina

ROSSEN, JACK; GERO, JOAN M.; SCATTOLIN, MARÍA CRISTINA

Binghamton, NY, USA

Congreso; 17th Annual Meeting of the Northeast Conference on Andean Archaeology and Ethnohistory; 1998

University of Binghamton

Archaeobotanical and ethnobotanical research at the site of Yutopian, Catamarca Province, northwestern Argentina, has resulted in a wealth of new information on Formative (A.D. 1-600) high altitude agriculture. Moreover, in this region, some aspects of the ancient farming system are still practiced today. This paper discusses (1) the methods, only occasionally used in the Andes, for collecting and analyzing the plant remains, (2) the benefits of those techniques even at sites like Yutopian with its very low charcoal densities, and (3) the system of corn, bean, and chenopod agriculture that was (and is) grown within walled and terraced structures positioned and designed to overcome the harsh, high altitude environment.