Las vasijas y su potencial como sujetos estabilizadores de seres incompletos: Prácticas mortuorias de infantes durante el período tardío en el valle calchaquí norte

Abstract

Burials inside ceramic vessels are one of the most widespread archaeological phenomena in northwestern Argentina. In this paper we analyze infant burials in vessels from the Late Intermediate Period in the North Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina). Analyses of the ceramic vessels, lids, and human remains enabled us to determine that the objects were used for other activities before entering the tombs, as tasks related to food preparation. The osteological analysis established the age of the subjects to be no more than three years at the time of death. This information indicates that the mortuary context is a combination of elements with different biographical trajectories within prehispanic settlements, such as socialized vessels with ample trajectories inside the dwellings, and children who have passed on before completing their integration into the community. These trajectories tell us about the constitution of subjectivity in past Calchaquí society, where some may or may not be people, both as objects and as subjects, similar to other non-modern Andean ontologies.