Contextos de uso de las plantas vinculadas al Complejo Pica Tarapacá, Andes Centro- Sur: Arqueobotánica y agricultura en el período Intermedio Tardío (ca. 1250-1450 DC)

Abstract

This paper describes the plant remains from the archaeological sites of Nama, Camiña and Jamajuga, located in the valley and highlands of Tarapacá, northern Chile (19° lat. S). The main purpose of this paper is to provide additional botanical information regarding the Pica Tarapacá Complex during the Camiña archaeological phase (ca. 1250-1450 AD), through the analysis of plants from ancient household spaces. The sample comes from 28 excavation units and were obtained directly from the sieve and flotation. We defined at least two contexts associated to plant use. The first one is associated to a private and domestic sphere, while the other corresponds to the use of plants in open public and ceremonial contexts. Both practices are defined as different but complementary within the daily lives of the Tarapacá farmers during the Late Intermediate Period.