ARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF WATER MILL FROM THE 19TH CENTURY (SALTA, ARGENTINA)

PABLO JOSÉ PIFANO; FERNANDO J. FERNÁNDEZ; AILÍN A. GUILLERMO; NATALIA S. PETRUCCI; MARÍA CECILIA PAEZ

Latin American Antiquity

Cambridge University Press

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2023 p. 1 - 17

1045-6635

The establishment of hydraulic mills in the American territory occurred early during the Colony, as a consequence of the need to have a structure to grind wheat, a basic cereal for the diet of the colonizers. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the rise of the agro-export model in many of the Latin American countries conditioned the development of an emerging flour industry with the help of water-powered mills. Over time, these technologies were used not only to increase the share of flour in the export market, but also to meet the needs of domestic consumption, both local and regional. In this context, in 2017 we began to investigate the characteristics of a hydraulic mill, currently in disuse, located in the town of Payogasta, in the province of Salta (Northwest Argentina), from the need to determine its chronology and functionality. In addition to surveying the structure of the mill, excavations were carried out in the nearby rooms that were part of the site. The results indicate that this mill was in operation between the end of the 19th century and the end of the 20th century to grind wheat, corn, carob and red pepper. Likewise, it was determined that one of the adjoining rooms was used for overnight stays of the people waiting for their grain to be ground, and that food of animal and vegetable origin was consumed there.