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7: New Perspectives on Obsidian Procurement and Exchange at Tiwanaku, Bolivia
- University of New Mexico Press
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86 Abstract Tiwanaku was an important center of Andean civilization from AD 500 to AD 1000. Its urban inhabitants had access to exotic lithic raw materials, including obsidian. Samples from three obsidian quarries, 147 obsidian artifacts from eight different sectors in the prehistoric city of Tiwanaku, and 33 obsidian artifacts from seven other locations within the Titicaca Basin region were analyzed by neutron activation analysis and X-ray fluorescence. The new data were compared to the MURR (University of Missouri Research Reactor) database and artifacts were traced to known sources in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Chemical abundance data are presented for several new obsidian source types. In addition , evidence is presented that the inhabitants of Tiwanaku used obsidian from a large number of sources, some brought from very distant regions located outside of the Tiwanaku state sphere. Most samples analyzed were traced to the Chivay source in southern Peru, but a total of 11 other sources were present as well, mostly in non-elite areas. Here we compare obsidian access by elite, eliterelated , and non-elite groups, as well as that present in two ceremonial structures, and we suggest that while the Tiwanaku elites obtained and distributed Chivay obsidian, and used for themselves materials from this source exclusively, non-elite groups obtained materials from other sources through local networks. 1. Introduction Archaeologists seeking to reconstruct past human behavior and interaction commonly examine the materials that early peoples used. Artifacts made from stone materials (e.g., basalt, chert, obsidian) are undoubtedly the most widely studied archaeological materials because they occupied an important role in the material culture of most prehistoric peoples. Although nearly every type of stone was used by one prehistoric culture or another, naturally occurring obsidian glass offers archaeologists one of the most definitive types of evidence concerning contact between different cultures. Its glassy consistency, predictable fracturing characteristics, and sharp working edge contributed to obsidian’s being highly sought after to produce various implements (e.g., tools, weapons) as well as ornamental items such as jewelry. Because it is unstable and devitrifies over time, losing its fracturing qualities, raw obsidian suitable for tool production is generally restricted to tectonic regions that experienced volcanism since the Tertiary period. In addition to the limited number of sources, obsidian has a number of attributes that give it a significant role in archaeology, including the following: (1) artifacts made from obsidian are well preserved in most archaeological contexts; (2) the fragile nature of obsidian causes it to have a high replacement rate; (3) individual sources are, with few exceptions, compositionally homogeneous; (4) different sources are compositionally distinct; and (5) through precise chemical analysis, it is possible to link artifacts to Chapter 7 New Perspectives on Obsidian Procurement and Exchange at Tiwanaku, Bolivia Michael D. Glascock and Martin Giesso New Perspectives on Obsidian Procurement and Exchange | 87 sources with a high degree of certainty. Analytical techniques such as proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and neutron activation analysis (NAA) are widely recognized for their contributions to the reconstruction of ancient obsidian distribution systems around the world (Bird et al. 1978; Stross et al. 1983; Hughes 1984; Francaviglia 1988; Cobean et al. 1991; Shackley 2005). Progress on archaeological research in western South America has increased recently, especially in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, with the location of several obsidian sources (Burger et al. 1998a, 1998b; Burger and Glascock 2000; Burger et al. 2000; Glascock et al. 2007; Seelenfreund 1996; Tripcevich 2007; Yacobaccio et al. 2002). In this chapter we describe our most recent findings regarding obsidian trade and exchange in the Tiwanaku region. 2. Background As the location of the world’s highest-altitude prehistoric city, the archaeological site of Tiwanaku astonishes travelers and explorers who contemplate the remains of magnificent temples and pyramids built there during the period from AD 300 to AD 1000. Lake Titicaca is situated in the northern portion of the Bolivian high plateau, or altiplano, between two towering cordillera, at an altitude of about 3810 m above sea level. Because the Tiwanaku state collapsed several centuries prior to the Spanish conquest and there are no written records, the nature of Tiwanaku’s influence over the political, economic, and religious aspects of contemporaneous societies in the south-central Andes is not well understood. Tiwanaku (figure 7.1) was located at the center of a network of hierarchically organized settlements located in three contiguous valleys: the Pampa Koani to the north, the Tiwanaku valley in the center, and...