Potters and herders at the southern edge of the Andean world: Risk management and mobility in Northwestern Mendoza, Argentina

FRIGOLÉ, CECILIA; GASCO, ALEJANDRA

QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2016

1040-6182

This study addresses the risk-management activities of Andean pastoralists in northwestern, Mendoza.We compare data from one high-altitude site, Agua de la Cueva, located near a spring and an excellenthunting ground, and a domestic pit house at the site San Ignacio in a nearby mountain valley.We analyzedata from roughly contemporaneous contexts dating to 1100e1400 cal BP. Osteometric measurements ofcamelid post-cranial bones and comparisons to modern camelids with multivariate statistics con!rmedthe presence of wild guanacos and vicu~nas as well as castrated and uncastrated domestic llamas. Hence,this is one of the southernmost areas where Andean pastoralism was practiced. Petrographic analysis ofpottery and comparisons to local geology suggest strong similarities between the sites. Similar fabricssuggest a closely-connected group that probably made effective and complementary use of these twoenvironments. Previous studies have established the presence of vessels from the other side of the Andesindicating long-distance contacts between populations on both sides of the Andes. These contacts mayhave been made via caravans that included castrated llamas, which are ethnographically preferredamong drovers. The possibility of caravans is a hypothesis to be tested with future research. Our datasuggest these groups participated in seasonal and perhaps long-distance movements in addition to otheractivities such as hunting, herding, and storing food. The combination of these risk-management strategiesprovided a stable economic base for the potters and herders of northwestern Mendoza. This casecan be broadly compared to better-known archaeological and ethnographic examples from other parts ofthe Andes.