Obsidian in Northern Ecuador: A Study of Obsidian Production and Site Function in Pambamarca
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: For several years the Pambamarca Archaeology Project has been investigating a dynamic frontier in the northern Ecuadorian highlands at the edge of the País Caranqui: a confederation of small-scale, autonomous, inter-warring pre-Inkan polities whose nearly twenty year resistance to Inka conquest resulted in the largest concentration of military fortresses in the Inka Empire. In addition to its violent past, Pambamarca is located within 25km of high quality obsidian sources, making it an important region for understanding obsidian production when it is part of local, non-elite exchange. This study analyzes obsidian, non-obsidian flaked lithics, and ceramics to elucidate patterns of obsidian production and site function at five of the Pambamarca sites ranging chronologically from the Early Integration period to the early Colonial Period. Directions for future research which would better clarify these patterns are also proposed.
Author: Erin Christine Rodriguez
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology (arts and humanities)
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W131319752