DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1311915.

Abstract. In this article we present information from studies of phytoliths from sediment collected from two pre-Hispanic farming structures located on the western side of the Ambato Valley, Catamarca, Argentina. The work focused on trying to determine what plant species were cultivated and assess the importance that these crops may have had in a non-egalitarian social context. The results suggest that maize (Zea mays) crop, associated with the breeding of domestic animals (Lama glama), was performed exclusively in these structures. In a context such as Aguada, Ambato Valley, which was marked by increasing social inequality, intensive and localized production of this crop could have been one of the strategies for establishing and maintaining inegalitarian relations.

Keywords: Microfossils, Silicophytoliths, Agricultural structures, Aguada Culture, Argentina.

Reference:

Figueroa, G. G., M. Dantas & A. Laguens. 2015. Producción de alimentos y diferenciación social en el Valle de Ambato, Catamarca, Argentina (siglos VI al XI d. C.). Una contribución a la problemática a través del estudio de silicofitolitos. Arqueología Iberoamericana S1: 3-15. http://www.laiesken.net/arqueologia/archivo/2015/S1/1. PURL: http://purl.org/aia/S11.

Publication date: 19 January 2015.

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