Contextual Pottery and Faunal Analysis in the Pre-Inca Site of El Pobladito

Abstract

In order to contribute to the knowledge of the Regional Developments Period (RDP) of Quebrada de Humahuaca, we address the study of El Pobladito’s Enclosure 2 through pottery and zooarchaeological analyses. El Pobladito is one of the few examples of a pre-Inca settlement at Quebrada de Humahuaca and the only one found to this point in its central south sector. Thus, studying El Pobladito provides the opportunity to comprehend the social dynamics of the population of Quebrada de Humahuaca prior to Inca domination. The contextual analysis of Enclosure 2 allows the recognition of diverse everyday activities as well as an understanding of its role within the functionality of the settlement. Based on these analyses, we consider that different activities were carried out at Enclosure 2, such as the preparation of food, the storage of food and other goods, and resting. The presence of a high concentration of zooarchaeological remains and pottery vessels in such a small enclosure (22 m2), as well as “special” elements, rarely recovered in other contexts from Quebrada de Humahuaca, such as a bird skull, a bone trumpet, a group of phalanges, and a probable mollusc ornament, points to it being a non-domestic space. We consider Enclosure 2 as being linked to communal activities developed within the community participation space where it is located.