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Antiquity Vol 79 No 306 December 2005

The first Hispano-Indigenous

archaeological project in the Humahuaca
Rift Valley, Argentina
Mariel Alejandra Lpez

Objects of Hispanic origin dating to

the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries
AD have been found in funereal
contexts in several indigenous sites
within the Humahuaca Rift Valley
(figure 1). Until now, these scarce
objects, which have still not been
thoroughly analysed, have been the
only indicators of early contact
between Hispanic and Indigenous
peoples.

Due to the importance of this

archaeological problem, a new
research project has been established
in order to analyse whether or not
these objects formed correlated
evidence of direct contact or were
introduced through exchange of
goods networks already in existence
in the Andean world and within the
region.

So far, the degree of contact

between these two worlds has not
been specifically examined from an
archaeological perspective, and Figure 1. Plan of Humahuaca Rift Valley, Argentina.
there has been no in-depth
interdisciplinary study of
archaeological and ethnohistorical
sources dedicated to the theme.
Some archaeological studies have
investigated sites from this period,
but only as part of projects with
different research questions.

There have also been ethnohistorical

studies of documents from this
period, but they are almost entirely
limited to rare political and
administrative documentation. As a
result, very little is known of the
archaeology of indigenous sites of
this period, of the possible sites and
locations of Spanish settlements in
the Rift Valley, or of the diversity of
the material culture generated.The
only structures previously known
are at the colonial towns (Figures 2
and 3).

Hernndez Llosas & Sora (1990)

initially proposed a study to
integrate information from various
sources a decade ago which has not
been possible to carry out until now.
The study has recently begun as
postdoctoral work linked to an
Research Program directed by Dr.
M.I. Hernndez Llosa.

The first objective of this new project is to

investigate the phenomenon of contact between
the indigenous population and the Spanish
invaders. The 'contact' took place at least within
three different consecutive episodes that can be
analysed as follows: beginning, rebellions wars
and ending

The project is centred on the study of material

Figure 2. Colonial church dating to
c. 1655 from Huacalera, Humahuaca
Rift Valley. Photography by Lpez,
culture of the different groups and takes an
interdisciplinary approach, using information and
methodology not only from archaeology but also
from other disciplines including anthropology,
ethnohistory, history, history of art and linguistics.
 1999.

Of the objectives initially outlined,

the following are already partially
completed:

The definition based on

documents of both 'worlds'
for each of the relevant
episodes, analysing the
possible social changes that
could have been occurring at
the time of contact.
The definition based on
documents of probable
confrontation sites within
indigenous and Spanish
settlements and their
varieties.
The definition based on
documents of various sites
(indigenous and Spanish)
taken from the possible
layouts, structures and
materials used during this
time, particularly in relation
to the construction of the
first military and Figure 3. Watermill at Huacalera, Humahuaca
administrative settlements. Rift Valley attributed to the Jesuits. Photography
The definition based on by Estruch, 2005
documents of
communication routes and
the possible changes in
mobility within that area and
in trade routes after contact.
The definition based on
documents of the objects
circulating within the
'domestic' and 'extra-
domestic' circuits in both
social groups and their
possible exchange values.

This has led to the following results:

1. The generation of a database

 containing diverse types of
documental information
(archaeological sites,
collections, historical
documents etc.) relating to
the study area.
2. A link to an GIS
(Geographical Information
System) featuring the
distribution of historical and
archaeological sites which
correspond to this period.
3. A diagram of a model of the
indigenous Spanish
relationship with the
Humahuaca Rift Valley
dwellers' space, which can
then be used as a guide for
further survey and
excavations in the field.

The project uses different areas of archaeological

Figure 4. First case of
representation of a topo (topu) or
inca pin in a ceramic vessel
uncovered from a domestic context
of La Huerta (R. 293). This 'Inca
provincial' sherd was dated to the
seventeenth century from its context
and represents a change in the local
representation patterns (Lpez 2004
a, b; 2005).
theory to tackle different problems. Rural and
processual archaeology outlines rough problems
and overviews while historical processualism is
used to sketch out more delicate work.
Theories and methodology from other disciplines
have also been adopted. Those theoretical
perspectives employed by history, ethnohistory or
anthropological history which coincide with the
importance given to the focus on the methods or
experiences of the social actors furthest from the
dichotomy between occurrences and structures
can be explained by the following; 'acculturation',
'tradition', or 'syncretically ordered solutions',
where the shock of contact between cultures has
been specifically taken into account.
Other investigators in the region have bemoaned
the lack of quality documentation in the colonial
area of Tucumn. However, we have looked at
religious documents which have not previously
been explored in a systematic manner, particularly
for the Humahuaca Rift Valley, as well as the link
of this region with the Charcas colonial area and
the consideration of pre-eighteenth century
 documentation.
Our current hypothesis which most evidence
supports suggests that the ingress of the Spanish
into the territory of Humahuaca destabilised the
characteristic social organisation of the group so
deeply that they settled in known settlement sites,
imposing 'a new way of life and existence' on the
Andean space. This crisis would leave a trail of
material culture, especially in the representation of
typically Inca elites and/or Spanish symbols on
different objects which began to be manipulated
by both worlds (Figure 4).

References -2004b. Complejidad social,

HERNNDEZ LLOSAS,
M.I. & G. SORA. 1990.
Informacin etnohistrica y
modelo arqueolgico: un
enfoque sistmico procesual.
Ponencia presentada en el 2
Congreso Mundial de
Arqueologa. Barquisimento,
Venezuela. M. S.
LPEZ, M.A. 2004a.
Tecnologa cermica en La
Huerta, Quebrada de
Humahuaca, Provincia de
Jujuy, Repblica Argentina.
Tesis para optar al ttulo de
Doctor de la Facultad de
Filosofa y Letras,
Universidad de Buenos
Aires. M.S. Tomos I y II.
especializacin artesanal e innovaciones
tcnicas en Quebrada de Humahuaca: Un
caso de cermica Inka provincial
arqueomtricamente analizada. Paper
presented at the XV Congreso Nacional de
Arqueologa Argentina. Summary
published in Libro de resmenes del XV
C.N.A.A.: 143. Crdoba: Ro Cuarto.
- 2005. Iconografa inka o colonial? De
las representaciones simblicas de lo
incaico a las imgenes postconquista en la
Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy,
Argentina. Una hiptesis de trabajo sobre
representaciones figurativas en la
cermica 'Inka provincial' de los
momentos de contacto hispano-indgena.
Paper presented at the V Congreso
Internacional de Etnohistoria, Buenos
Aires, Argentina.

Dr. Mariel Alejandra Lpez: Postdoctoral CONICET fellow, Archaeology Department

of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Buenos Aires, Republic of Argentina.
Translated by G. Marcellus-Temple.
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