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Pre-Inca mining in the Southern Nasca Region, Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Jelmer W. Eerkens ,
Kevin J. Vaughn  and
Moises Linares Grados
Jelmer W. Eerkens
Affiliation:
1Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis CA 95616-8522, USA (Email: [email protected])
Kevin J. Vaughn
Affiliation:
2Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, 700 West State St., West Lafayette IN 47907, USA (Email: [email protected])
Moises Linares Grados
Affiliation:
3Proyecto Nasca Temprano, Lima, Peru (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Guided by modern miners of the region the authors track down pre-Inca mining sites in the Southern Nasca Region of Peru. In the hinterlands away from both modern and ancient roads they find a surprising number of small sites serving the pre-Inca industry, principally in the Nasca period. Drawing analogies from modern practice they are able to distinguish the ancient sites dedicated to exploration, extraction or production.

Keywords

PeruNascapre-Hispanicmining
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 83 , Issue 321 , September 2009 , pp. 738 - 750
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2009

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