El gorro troncocónico o chucu y la presencia de población altiplánica en el norte de chile durante el periodo tardío (CA. 1.470-1.536 D.C.)

Abstract

This article brings together and analyses archaeological and historical data concerning the use of prehispanic headdresses in the Andes, with specific emphasis on the south-central Andes. This serves as a context for the analysis of a fez-like headdress manufactured with the spiral-coiling technique recovered from various cemeteries in the Norte Grande region of Chile. Drawing on an examination of these archaeological contexts from a range of Chilean and foreign museums, I argue that the spiral-coiled chucu headdress served as an emblematic symbol of aymara or colla identity or, more specifically, of the Caranga and Pacaje ethnic groups serving as Inka mitimaes in the coastal valleys of the far north of Chile as indicated by historic documents. If my arguments were correct, this particular headdress would have represented, along with certain ceramic styles, an additional distinctive sign of the presence of Altiplano groups in the area during the Late Period (ca. 1,470-1,536 AD).