Tecnología lítica y funcionalidad de asentamientos del periodo incaico en el Valle del río Aconcagua, Chile

Abstract

Although much research exists on the influence of Tawantinsuyu in Central Chile, archeological research on lithic technology for the Inca period is scarce because ceramics, architecture, rock art, and metallurgy have been prioritized. This paper provides a more complete understanding of the period by describing and discussing the lithic technological organization of the Late Period settlements of the Aconcagua river valley. Technical and formal properties and their integration, with other material evidence at a broad spatial scale provide evidence of activities conducted at the sites and the sites' functionality, whether habitation or administrative/ritual. A better understanding is reached of how different functional settlement types are linked in relation to the procurement and transport of lithic raw materials and the intra-and inter-site production and distribution processes. Results indicate important differences in the technological strategies at habitation and administrative/ritual settlements.