Ceramics

The multicomponent nature of this site is most evident from the spatial and temporal variety of pottery styles observed here. This site contained the only pottery diagnostic to the Titicaca Basin Formative, and it also has a sherd from a Titicaca Basin LIP beaker. Tiwanaku sherds, however, are conspicuously absent as they are elsewhere in the valley contrasting with regional obsidian distributions.

Period	Estilo	Beaker	Bowl	Olla	Neckless Olla	Plate	Cup	Unknown	Total
LH	Collagua-Inka	2				1			3
LIP-LH	Collagua	1							1
LIP	Colla	1							1
MH	Local MH			1			1		2
F-MH	Chiquero-like	2	1	6	7		1	8	25
MF	Qaluyu-like		2						2
Total		6	3	7	7	1	2	8	34

Table 6-5. All ceramics from Taukamayo [A02-26] and vicinity.

Evidence from ceramics reveal that while the site has components from all ceramics-using periods, the strongest evidence is from the earlier periods, particularly from the unslipped, brushed ware that has similarities to Chiquero style from the main Colca valley. These Chiquero-like sherds at Taukamayo are notable because this style of sherd is abundant at this site, and while this style was widespread in Block 2 the 2003 survey data shows that Taukamayo is the only location in Block 3 where Chiquero style sherds were encountered.

Surface collection in the slump debris at the site also revealed several sherds that appear to belong to Titicaca Basin styles, representing one of the few pieces of possible evidence of reciprocation for the quantities of Chivay obsidian that have been found in the Titicaca Basin. These Titicaca Basin styles include two sherds with similarities to the Middle Formative north Titicaca Basin style Qaluyu or early Pukara.

Figure 6-65. Non-local incised and stamped pottery from Taukamayo [A02-26], in the 2003 provenience these are A03-679.2 and A03-679.3.

Furthermore, a Colla sherd from the Titicaca Basin LIP was found here. The relatively high density of non-local ceramics from Taukamayo supports the idea that Taukamayo was a camp for non-local passersby, and perhaps caravan moving through the upper Colca valley.

Condition of Site

The site was partially destroyed by a broad slumping of the hillside above the site. Callalli residents (Ramos, Ordóñez, Windischhofer) have indicated that the creeping displacement began during the rainy season in early 2001.. Down-cutting in the stream bed of the adjacent Quebrada Taukamayo may have contributed to the recent creep. A historically large El Niño - Southern Oscillation occurred in the years 1997-1998, and a smaller one occurred in 2002-2003, therefore the slumping was not immediately attributable to the unusually heavy ENSO rainfall. Furthermore, a 2.5 m deep trench diverting water from the slope above Callalli was cut in the recent past, and this trench diverts water into the Quebrada Taukamayo watershed. The increased water volume in the quebrada beginning after the 1997-1998 ENSO and with additional water from the Callalli diversion trench, is perhaps contributing to a significant down-cutting of the stream bed which leads to a greater overall gradient of the slope and greater probability of sliding.

In the debris pile at the base of this landslide, ceramics from a variety of time periods were encountered, revealing the multicomponent nature of the settlement. While the landslide has destroyed much of the site, and threatens to destroy more area immediately north and south of the current slide zone, the creep has presented a few opportunities for archaeological observation as well. First, in the debris pile at the base of the slump one is able to observe ceramics from throughout the temporal sequence at the site. Second, in the cut on the north and south edges of the landslide, places where the cut varies between 50cm and 200cm in height, the 2003 survey team was able to observe lenses containing ash, bone, lithics, and pottery, permitting a relatively targeted testing of this deposit.

Discussion

It is immediately apparent that Taukamayo is an unusual site in the Block 3 area. The variety of ceramics and the diversity of lithic material types suggest that the occupants of the site participated in the circulation of goods on a larger geographical scale than did other sites in the region. Furthermore, while bifacially flaked obsidian implements were not uncommon in Block 3, these artifacts appeared to be relatively highly curated. At Taukamayo, reduction evidence from unmodified flakes and cores of obsidian was widespread.

The diversity of ceramic types observed at this site, and the potential for encountering ceramics from various stratigraphic levels in the mixed debris of the slump deposit, was significant. Non-local materials were encountered in styles belonging to the Titicaca Basin dating to the Middle Formative and the Late Intermediate Period, however in the broad sample provided by the Taukamayo landslide debris there was a notable lack of diagnostic ceramics from the time periods featuring the most political integration in the Titicaca Basin: the Late Formative polities and the Tiwanaku period.

Lithics

The most notable feature of Taukamayo was the relatively high density of obsidian as compared with other areas of Block 3. It appears that obsidian reduction occurred here on a number of occasions and due to the landslide, obsidian flakes appear in many parts of the slide deposition pile.

	Taukamayo Cores - Surface				Entire Block 3 Surface Collection
Material	No.	m Cortex	mWt	sWt	No.	m Cortex	mWt	sWt
Obsidian	10	25	14.31	7.8	17	5.0	23.2	13.1
Volcanics	-	-	-	-	2	7.5	87.7	42.6
Chalcedony	-	-	-	-	4	16.7	47.5	18.1
Chert	1	0	34.4	-	18	32.1	57.17	33.8
Total	12	32.1	48.4	29.0	41	21.6	43.6	31.3

Table 6-53. Cores from the surface of Taukamayo as compared with the entire Block 3 surface collection.

Obsidian cores (all Ob1) were relatively abundant at Taukamayo but they were not exceptionally common. Nodules of black and tan colored chert were observed in the creek bed at Taukamayo and the material was being flaked elsewhere on terraces adjacent to the creek, but curiously only one core of this chert was found at Taukamayo. The distribution of obsidian material at the site suggests that a range of reduction stages on obsidian were occurring in this location and comparably less of the local chert or quartzite material was in use.

	Ob1	Ob2	Volcanics	Chalcedony	Chert	Quartzite	Total
Flakes	138	199	53	25	181	79	675
Cores	11	8	-	2	4	1	26
Points & Tools	22	15	1	-	1	-	40
Hoes	-	-	16	-	-	-	16
Total	171	222	70	27	186	80	757

Table 6-54. Counts of lithics from surface collection at Taukamayo [A02-26].

This table shows that counts of obsidian are relatively high at Taukamayo. These counts should not be compared directly with other sites in Block 3 because these analysis results reflect two unusual aspects of Taukamayo. First, the high counts at this site are, in part, due the visibility of lithics in the debris from the landslide. Second, a detailed lithics analysis was conducted on the excavated materials from A02-26u1, as well as on surface materials from this site, and these high counts reflect this detailed analysis.

Chert and quartzite are immediately available in this area, and yet these material types are the minority in representation in flaked stone artifacts at the site. Secondly, Ob2 obsidian was relatively common at Taukamayo. As compared with the Block 2 site of Pausa (see Table 6-51 in Block 2 discussion) where obsidian use is primarily (87%) Ob1 material, at Block 3 Taukamayo there appears to be less concern for the clarity of the material or the presence of heterogeneities because 57% of the obsidian artifacts are Ob2 material. In fact, Taukamayo contains the highest proportion of bifacially flaked tools made from Ob2 material from the entire survey area. Notably, however, these were primarily bifaces not points, as only two of the artifacts made from Ob2 obsidian were projectile points.

Figure 6-66. Sixteen large andesite hoes were found at Taukamayo [A02-26].

Finally, this site contained an exceptional collection of sixteen large, broken andesite hoes. The hoes varied considerably in size, and it is difficult to assess the original, unbroken size of the items. The hoes ranged in weight from 112g to one as large as 1189g (shown in Figure 6-66, right), with a high variance. All showed signs of intial shaping with percussion flaking as well as flake scars from use. The mean weight was 512g, but with a standard deviation of 483.7.

These hoes had bifacial flaking on the working edge, and most showed polish from use, but no hafting wear was observed under visual inspection. The source of the andesite has not been determined, but if the source lies somewhere distant it is possible that, as with obsidian, Taukamayo contained a high percentage of non-local lithic materials that contrasts with neighboring sites in the area (see lithic analysis data reported in Section 7.6.1).