Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina

Autores
Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio; Becerra, María Florencia
Año de publicación
2015
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
documento de conferencia
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
In the context of pre-Hispanic South Andes, the Argentinean Northwest became a very relevant center of metalworking production and innovation. This development is reflected on the variety and quality of the metal objects produced there and in the technological solutions applied to achieve items with the desirable characteristics. The Puna of Jujuy, in the southern extreme of the South-Andes high-plateau and part of the current Argentinean Northwest, is an area of great interest for studying the particular characteristics of ancient mining and metalworking technology: there, ores of the four metals employed during pre-Hispanic times, such as copper, tin, gold and silver, were available. Therefore, in 2004 we initiated a research project focused on generating new data on this subject by combining historical research on colonial documentation with intensive and large-scale archaeological surveys, excavations and records of pre-Hispanic and Colonial sites. As a complement, we have designed and implemented an archaeo-metric studies program on furnaces, slag, minerals, and metals found.As result of the activities done so far, we have registered a hundred sites dedicated during different times to mining and metalworking production in the area. There, we could identify pits and trenches for placer mining, adits to extract gold and silver ores, ?canchas? (courtyards paved with cobbles), ?marays? (grinding stones), furnaces for mineral processing and smelting, isolated shelters near the working areas and even small abandoned villages that were founded due to the mineral wealth of the area.The study of these evidences allows us to suggest that during late pre-Hispanic times (circa 900-1430 AD), mining was not developed on a large-scale, although at the same time the production of metal objects reached its peak in close areas (such as in Humahuaca Valley). The extraction of mineral ores, especially copper and tin, would have been carried out by herder-miners, who would have transported them until regional centers of metalworking, located in lower valleys but not in the current Argentinean high-plateau. In that scenario, Puna inhabitants would have developed mining but not metallurgical activities.At the beginning of 15th century, the Argentinean Northwest was incorporated to the Tawantinsuyu. Although several researchers have pointed out the special interest of the Inca Empire on controlling the mines and workers of the Puna of Jujuy, our investigation shows that the Inkas did not develop large-scale mining activities nor evidences of metalworking production has been identified in Inka contexts in this region. Once Spanish conquerors arrived to the Puna (1535 AD), the mineral ores in the region, especially gold and silver ones, became a great attraction. Such was the will for searching and working the ores, that this region, with rigorous weather conditions, at more than 3700 m.a.s.l., concentrated one of the largest population in Jujuy by 18th century.During colonial times, the landscape of the Puna was structured around mining activity. European and Indigenous people worked the gold placers, labored the gold and silver ores and smelted minerals in reverberatory furnaces. Villages and towns grew up fast but also were abandoned quickly, along with the discovery and depletion of the minerals available. However, some of these towns are still today inhabited, as landmarks that remind the presence of the underground wealth and the gold and silver fever of the past.
Fil: Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales; Argentina
Fil: Becerra, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina
IV Archaeometallurgy in Europe Conference
Madrid
España
Historical of Metallurgy Society News
Materia
Archaeometallurgy
Colonial Times
Furnaces
Reververatory
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/236500
Acceder
id CONICETDig_6c3d6e6ec45ea54b886576abf3cd1cbe
oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/236500
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of ArgentinaAngiorama, Carlos IgnacioBecerra, María FlorenciaArchaeometallurgyColonial TimesFurnacesReververatoryhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6In the context of pre-Hispanic South Andes, the Argentinean Northwest became a very relevant center of metalworking production and innovation. This development is reflected on the variety and quality of the metal objects produced there and in the technological solutions applied to achieve items with the desirable characteristics. The Puna of Jujuy, in the southern extreme of the South-Andes high-plateau and part of the current Argentinean Northwest, is an area of great interest for studying the particular characteristics of ancient mining and metalworking technology: there, ores of the four metals employed during pre-Hispanic times, such as copper, tin, gold and silver, were available. Therefore, in 2004 we initiated a research project focused on generating new data on this subject by combining historical research on colonial documentation with intensive and large-scale archaeological surveys, excavations and records of pre-Hispanic and Colonial sites. As a complement, we have designed and implemented an archaeo-metric studies program on furnaces, slag, minerals, and metals found.As result of the activities done so far, we have registered a hundred sites dedicated during different times to mining and metalworking production in the area. There, we could identify pits and trenches for placer mining, adits to extract gold and silver ores, ?canchas? (courtyards paved with cobbles), ?marays? (grinding stones), furnaces for mineral processing and smelting, isolated shelters near the working areas and even small abandoned villages that were founded due to the mineral wealth of the area.The study of these evidences allows us to suggest that during late pre-Hispanic times (circa 900-1430 AD), mining was not developed on a large-scale, although at the same time the production of metal objects reached its peak in close areas (such as in Humahuaca Valley). The extraction of mineral ores, especially copper and tin, would have been carried out by herder-miners, who would have transported them until regional centers of metalworking, located in lower valleys but not in the current Argentinean high-plateau. In that scenario, Puna inhabitants would have developed mining but not metallurgical activities.At the beginning of 15th century, the Argentinean Northwest was incorporated to the Tawantinsuyu. Although several researchers have pointed out the special interest of the Inca Empire on controlling the mines and workers of the Puna of Jujuy, our investigation shows that the Inkas did not develop large-scale mining activities nor evidences of metalworking production has been identified in Inka contexts in this region. Once Spanish conquerors arrived to the Puna (1535 AD), the mineral ores in the region, especially gold and silver ones, became a great attraction. Such was the will for searching and working the ores, that this region, with rigorous weather conditions, at more than 3700 m.a.s.l., concentrated one of the largest population in Jujuy by 18th century.During colonial times, the landscape of the Puna was structured around mining activity. European and Indigenous people worked the gold placers, labored the gold and silver ores and smelted minerals in reverberatory furnaces. Villages and towns grew up fast but also were abandoned quickly, along with the discovery and depletion of the minerals available. However, some of these towns are still today inhabited, as landmarks that remind the presence of the underground wealth and the gold and silver fever of the past.Fil: Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Becerra, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; ArgentinaIV Archaeometallurgy in Europe ConferenceMadridEspañaHistorical of Metallurgy Society NewsHistorical Metallurgy Society2015info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceObjectSimposioJournalhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_5794info:ar-repo/semantics/documentoDeConferenciaapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/236500Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina; IV Archaeometallurgy in Europe Conference; Madrid; España; 2015; 6-6CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://historicalmetallurgy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/The-Crucible-89.pdfinfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://www.congresos.cchs.csic.es/aie4/conferenceInternacionalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-08-25T15:04:06Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/236500instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-08-25 15:04:06.332CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
title Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
spellingShingle Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio
Archaeometallurgy
Colonial Times
Furnaces
Reververatory
title_short Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
title_full Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
title_fullStr Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
title_sort Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio
Becerra, María Florencia
author Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio
author_facet Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio
Becerra, María Florencia
author_role author
author2 Becerra, María Florencia
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Archaeometallurgy
Colonial Times
Furnaces
Reververatory
topic Archaeometallurgy
Colonial Times
Furnaces
Reververatory
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv In the context of pre-Hispanic South Andes, the Argentinean Northwest became a very relevant center of metalworking production and innovation. This development is reflected on the variety and quality of the metal objects produced there and in the technological solutions applied to achieve items with the desirable characteristics. The Puna of Jujuy, in the southern extreme of the South-Andes high-plateau and part of the current Argentinean Northwest, is an area of great interest for studying the particular characteristics of ancient mining and metalworking technology: there, ores of the four metals employed during pre-Hispanic times, such as copper, tin, gold and silver, were available. Therefore, in 2004 we initiated a research project focused on generating new data on this subject by combining historical research on colonial documentation with intensive and large-scale archaeological surveys, excavations and records of pre-Hispanic and Colonial sites. As a complement, we have designed and implemented an archaeo-metric studies program on furnaces, slag, minerals, and metals found.As result of the activities done so far, we have registered a hundred sites dedicated during different times to mining and metalworking production in the area. There, we could identify pits and trenches for placer mining, adits to extract gold and silver ores, ?canchas? (courtyards paved with cobbles), ?marays? (grinding stones), furnaces for mineral processing and smelting, isolated shelters near the working areas and even small abandoned villages that were founded due to the mineral wealth of the area.The study of these evidences allows us to suggest that during late pre-Hispanic times (circa 900-1430 AD), mining was not developed on a large-scale, although at the same time the production of metal objects reached its peak in close areas (such as in Humahuaca Valley). The extraction of mineral ores, especially copper and tin, would have been carried out by herder-miners, who would have transported them until regional centers of metalworking, located in lower valleys but not in the current Argentinean high-plateau. In that scenario, Puna inhabitants would have developed mining but not metallurgical activities.At the beginning of 15th century, the Argentinean Northwest was incorporated to the Tawantinsuyu. Although several researchers have pointed out the special interest of the Inca Empire on controlling the mines and workers of the Puna of Jujuy, our investigation shows that the Inkas did not develop large-scale mining activities nor evidences of metalworking production has been identified in Inka contexts in this region. Once Spanish conquerors arrived to the Puna (1535 AD), the mineral ores in the region, especially gold and silver ones, became a great attraction. Such was the will for searching and working the ores, that this region, with rigorous weather conditions, at more than 3700 m.a.s.l., concentrated one of the largest population in Jujuy by 18th century.During colonial times, the landscape of the Puna was structured around mining activity. European and Indigenous people worked the gold placers, labored the gold and silver ores and smelted minerals in reverberatory furnaces. Villages and towns grew up fast but also were abandoned quickly, along with the discovery and depletion of the minerals available. However, some of these towns are still today inhabited, as landmarks that remind the presence of the underground wealth and the gold and silver fever of the past.
Fil: Angiorama, Carlos Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales; Argentina
Fil: Becerra, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto de Arqueología; Argentina
IV Archaeometallurgy in Europe Conference
Madrid
España
Historical of Metallurgy Society News
description In the context of pre-Hispanic South Andes, the Argentinean Northwest became a very relevant center of metalworking production and innovation. This development is reflected on the variety and quality of the metal objects produced there and in the technological solutions applied to achieve items with the desirable characteristics. The Puna of Jujuy, in the southern extreme of the South-Andes high-plateau and part of the current Argentinean Northwest, is an area of great interest for studying the particular characteristics of ancient mining and metalworking technology: there, ores of the four metals employed during pre-Hispanic times, such as copper, tin, gold and silver, were available. Therefore, in 2004 we initiated a research project focused on generating new data on this subject by combining historical research on colonial documentation with intensive and large-scale archaeological surveys, excavations and records of pre-Hispanic and Colonial sites. As a complement, we have designed and implemented an archaeo-metric studies program on furnaces, slag, minerals, and metals found.As result of the activities done so far, we have registered a hundred sites dedicated during different times to mining and metalworking production in the area. There, we could identify pits and trenches for placer mining, adits to extract gold and silver ores, ?canchas? (courtyards paved with cobbles), ?marays? (grinding stones), furnaces for mineral processing and smelting, isolated shelters near the working areas and even small abandoned villages that were founded due to the mineral wealth of the area.The study of these evidences allows us to suggest that during late pre-Hispanic times (circa 900-1430 AD), mining was not developed on a large-scale, although at the same time the production of metal objects reached its peak in close areas (such as in Humahuaca Valley). The extraction of mineral ores, especially copper and tin, would have been carried out by herder-miners, who would have transported them until regional centers of metalworking, located in lower valleys but not in the current Argentinean high-plateau. In that scenario, Puna inhabitants would have developed mining but not metallurgical activities.At the beginning of 15th century, the Argentinean Northwest was incorporated to the Tawantinsuyu. Although several researchers have pointed out the special interest of the Inca Empire on controlling the mines and workers of the Puna of Jujuy, our investigation shows that the Inkas did not develop large-scale mining activities nor evidences of metalworking production has been identified in Inka contexts in this region. Once Spanish conquerors arrived to the Puna (1535 AD), the mineral ores in the region, especially gold and silver ones, became a great attraction. Such was the will for searching and working the ores, that this region, with rigorous weather conditions, at more than 3700 m.a.s.l., concentrated one of the largest population in Jujuy by 18th century.During colonial times, the landscape of the Puna was structured around mining activity. European and Indigenous people worked the gold placers, labored the gold and silver ores and smelted minerals in reverberatory furnaces. Villages and towns grew up fast but also were abandoned quickly, along with the discovery and depletion of the minerals available. However, some of these towns are still today inhabited, as landmarks that remind the presence of the underground wealth and the gold and silver fever of the past.
publishDate 2015
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2015
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceObject
Simposio
Journal
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_5794
info:ar-repo/semantics/documentoDeConferencia
status_str publishedVersion
format conferenceObject
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/236500
Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina; IV Archaeometallurgy in Europe Conference; Madrid; España; 2015; 6-6
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/236500
identifier_str_mv Ancient mining and metallurgy in the extreme Northwest of Argentina; IV Archaeometallurgy in Europe Conference; Madrid; España; 2015; 6-6
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://historicalmetallurgy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/The-Crucible-89.pdf
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://www.congresos.cchs.csic.es/aie4/conference
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.coverage.none.fl_str_mv Internacional
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Historical Metallurgy Society
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Historical Metallurgy Society
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
_version_ 1874775095989239808
score 13.265058

Publicaciones similares