Reconstructing Inca Socioeconomic Organization through Biography Analyses of Residential Houses and Workshops of Pucara de Tilcara (Quebrada de Humahuaca, Argentina)

OTERO, C., TARRAGÓ, M.N.

Journal of Anthropology and Archaeology

American Research Institute for Policy Development

Año: 2018 vol. 5 p. 55 - 72

2334-2420

This paper presents a micro-structural analysis from a house of the Pucara de Tilcara, one of the mostimportant archaeological sites of the Argentina northwestern region. These results reconstruct the biographyof a dwelling space during the last pre-Hispanic period. Beyond its constitution like a preinca dwell space weidentify its reconfiguration to become a house-workshop for the production of luxury goods after Incadomination, and its posterior abandonment and reoccupation as a burial place. We compare this residentialunit with another structures excavated in early 20th century, that also had been occupied as house-workshops.Available evidences have allowed us to estimate the social-economic organization of the Pucara de Tilcaraand to advance in the characterization of the Inca domination in the region. We suggest that the Pucara deTilcara was a main production center destined to specifically enlarge some local technology and to developnew production within the lapidary industry