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Description and Method of Exploitation of the Alca Obsidian Source, Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Justin Jennings  and
Michael D. Glascock
Justin Jennings
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Michael D. Glascock
Affiliation:
Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri-Columbia, Santa Barbara, Columbia, MO 65211
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Abstract

Despite three decades of obsidian studies in the Andes, the extraction zones for this raw material remain poorly understood. The extent and geology of the sources, their intra-source chemical compositional variation, and the means by which the sources were exploited prehistorically, have largely escaped study. This report describes the results of a geoarchaeological survey of the Alca obsidian source in the Cotahuasi Valley, Peru. The survey documented 16 discrete outcrops of obsidian across an area of 50 km2. The obsidian in these outcrops can be found both as volcaniclastic flows and nodules in poorly consolidated volcanic tuff. Neutron activation analyses on samples from these outcrops suggest that all obsidian came from the same parent magma. Five small quarries were found during the course of the survey. No evidence of control over the resource zone was found and we suggest that tight control over obsidian extraction in the valley would have been logistically difficult due to the size and nature of the deposits.

A pesar de tres décadas de estudios de la obsidiana en los Andes, las zonas de extracción de esta materia prima son todavía pocas conocidas. Tanto los límites y la naturaleza geológica de los fuentes, como su variabilidad química y los métodos de explotación prehistóricos son temas que requieren investigación. En este informe se presentan los resultados de un reconocimiento geoarqueológico de la fuente de obsidiana Alca, en el Valle Cotahuasi, Arequipa, Perú. El reconocimiento registró 16 afloramientos de obsidiana dentro de un área de 50 km2. La obsidiana encontrada en estos afloramientos se caracteríza como flujos volcaniclásticos y nódulos en tuff volcánico poco consolidado. Análysis de activación neutrónico llevado a cabo con muestras provenientes de dichos afloramientos indican que todos pertencen a la misma magma. Identificamos cinco canteras pequeñas a través del reconocimiento, sin embargo, no encontramos evidencias que sugieren control sobre los recursos. Proponemos que dado la distribución, tamaño, y naturaleza de los depósitos de obsidiana, el control o administración de su explotación hubiera sido demasiado caro y dificil.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , March 2002 , pp. 107 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2002

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