Marisa Lazzari

The study of long-distance exchange of goods and resources has long been central to the understanding of socio-political and cultural complexity in the south-central Andes. Traditional studies have emphasized typological similarities to reconstruct regional networks, proposing the dominance of different centres through time. While these approaches were informative on the general direction of contacts, the nature and scale of interaction has remained speculative. This chapter summarises the latest results of our ongoing research project on long-distance circulation of archaeological materials in northwestern Argentina during part of the Formative Period (ca. 1500 BC-AD 1000). The study applied a multianalytical methodological strategy integrating archaeological analysis with archaeometric techniques, including thin section petrography, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and laser ablation inductively coupled mass-spectometry (LA-ICP-MS) in order to contribute an evidence-based holistic view of pre-Hispanic exchange networks. The study examined materials traditionally studied separately, including 542 ceramic samples and 113 obsidian and volcanic rock artifacts, from seven sectors in the semi-arid valleys area. We summarize here the results of the ceramic analysis, showing the following trends:
(1) inter-valley heterogeneity of clay and fabrics for ordinary wares; (2) inter-valley homogeneity of clay and fabrics for a wide range of decorated wares; (3) selective circulation of two distinct polychrome wares. These trends reflect the complex inter-community relationships experienced in small-scale societies. The study offers a new platform to model ancient exchange, and circulation and interaction more broadly, based on actual material transfers. The results call for the re-examination of the centralized models of exchange and interaction that are often drawn upon to account for emergent cultural complexity in the past, both in the Andes and beyond.

The circulation and exchange of goods and resources at various
scales have long been considered central to the understanding of
complex societies, and the Andes have provided a fertile ground
for investigating this process. However, long-standing archaeological
emphasis on typological analysis, although helpful to hypothesize
the direction of contacts, has left important aspects of ancient
exchange open to speculation. To improve understanding of ancient
exchange practices and their potential role in structuring alliances, we
examine material exchanges in northwest Argentina (part of the
south-central Andes) during 400 BC to AD 1000 (part of the regional
Formative Period), with a multianalytical approach (petrography,
instrumental neutron activation analysis, laser ablation inductively
coupled plasma mass spectrometry) to artifacts previously studied
separately. We assess the standard centralized model of interaction
vs. a decentralized model through the largest provenance database
available to date in the region. The results show: (i) intervalley heterogeneity
of clays and fabrics for ordinary wares; (ii) intervalley
homogeneity of clays and fabrics for a wide range of decoratedwares
(e.g., painted Ciénaga); (iii) selective circulation of two distinct polychrome
wares (Vaquerías and Condorhuasi); (iv) generalized access
to obsidian from one major source and various minor sources; and
(v) selective circulation of volcanic rock tools from a single source.
These trends reflect the multiple and conflicting demands experienced
by people in small-scale societies, which may be difficult to
capitalize by aspiring elites. The study undermines centralized narratives
of exchange for this period, offering a new platform for
understanding ancient exchange based on actual material transfers,
both in the Andes and beyond.

This article explores the past as a lived, inhabited reality through a series of
examples of indigenous heritage practices in NW Argentina (NWA), a region of the
world that has seen in recent decades increasing indigenous demands for autonomy
as well as land and cultural rights. The article seeks to understand the locations
where heritage struggles emerge, and the artefacts around which these emerge, as
social, semantic, and physical spaces of ontological multiplicity. Understanding how
such places and artefacts are constituted as lived-in-the-flesh realities today requires examining the multiple present connections that make these possible as well as looking into how the sedimentation of previous lived experiences contributes to present understandings. The article examines ancient places that become gravity
points fuelling both indigenous politics and academic practice with its own aesthetic
code. The cases explored reflect varying degrees of our involvement with emergent
indigenous heritage practices in the region, as archaeological researchers,
professional advisors, and museum visitors.

Citar como:

Lazzari, M. y M.A. Korstanje. 2013. The past as a lived space: heritage places, re-emergent aesthetics, and hopeful practices in NW Argentina. Journal of Social Archaeology 13(3) 394–419. DOI: 10.1177/1469605313487616.

This article presents the results of ongoing instrumental neutron activation analyses (INAA) conducted on archaeological artifacts from the Formative period of northwestern Argentina (NWA). These studies are part of a wider archaeological project that seeks to understand the structure of the social landscape of the period by examining domestic and burial evidence from a wide range of villages across the