The ceramics and pigments from Piedras Blancas (600-1000 AC), Aguada Culture: clay provision, technology, and social change at the Ambato Valley (Argentina).

BERTOLINO, S. A.R.; ZIMMERMANN U.; M. R. GASTALDI; A. LAGUENS

Austin Texas

Congreso; Society for American Archaeology 79th annual meeting,; 2014

Society for American Archaeology

Piedras Blancas (600-1000 AC) is a residential site where a well settled, more complex and unequal society developed after the political, social and ideological changes that occurred in the Ambato valley in the IV century of the Christian era. It belongs to the Regional Integration Period (300-1000 AC). Known as the Aguada Culture, these changes spread regionally, encompassing northwestern Argentina. The pottery production reflected those changes within the iconography ("the draconian style"). Technological classes reduced from 44 to 12 while two of them gained popularity: Classes E (common) and A1 (black incise) grew 100% and 30% respectively. The aim of this research is to help to understand the role of these objects in the new society, the continuity and disruptions of the technology, the organization of good production, management and selection of natural resources by this culture and the access to those resources. Pottery sherds, pigments and other possible raw materials found at this site as well as several local clay resources identified within the valley (Catamarca, Argentina), were characterized on their mineralogy, geochemistry and other physical and technological features. Certain minerals and chemical elements are found to be traceable and distinctive from other Aguada styles like the Aguada Portezuelo.