3.4.1. Asana

The site of Asana is at 3435 masl in the Osmore drainage of Moquegua, and it lies 185 km or 50 hours by the hiking model to the south-east of the Chivay source. Excavations at Asana were directed by Aldenderfer(1998: 76-80)between 1986 and 1991 and in the lower levels of the deeply-stratified site obsidian was found in low concentrations.

Titicaca Chronology (BCE)

14C yr bp

Lab Code (Beta-)

Cal.BCE

14CSample Provenience

Obsidian Provenience

Obsidian Type

Obsidian

Artifacts

Early Form.

2000-1300

3640±80

23364

2300-1750

II (sup), TU1

II

Aconcahua (visual ID)

n=3, 0.4%

Late Archaic

5000-3300

6040±90

24634

5210-4720

XIVb, I25b

XIV

n=1, 2%

Middle Archaic

7000-5000

6550±110

24629

5680-5300

XVIIa, G24b

KF4a: J29D-8; XVIIA

Chivay

6550±110

24629

5680-5300

XVIIa, G24b

KF4b: J29D-8; XVIIA

Chivay

Early Archaic

9000-7000

8620±110

47057

8200-7450

PXIX, P38b

8780±90

43920

8250-7600

PXX, V51a

KF5: F28D-5; PXXi

Chivay

8720±110

33303

8250-7550

PXXI, R43c

KF6: P38D-W; PXXI

Chivay

8720±110

33303

8250-7550

PXXI, R43c

KF2: W41A-4; PXXII

Chivay

8720±120

43922

8250-7550

PXXIII, X36c

8720±110

35599

8250-7550

PXXIV, T34a

n=11, 0.36%

KF3: T42B-7;F28D-5

Chivay

n=1, 0.08%

KF1: U41D-6; PXXV

Chivay

9820±150

40063

9900-8700

PXXXIII, S38c

Table 3-4. Asana obsidian samples, collections, and associated14C samples by level (Aldenderfer 1998: 131, 157, 163, 209, 268;Frye, et al. 1998).

These data from Asana show that low frequencies of Chivay obsidian occurred regularly through Early and Middle Archaic levels at the site despite the presence of high quality cherts nearby, and low quality obsidian from the Aconcahua source located about 50 km away. During the Late Archaic, obsidian disappears from the site and in a level that is transitional between the Terminal Archaic and Early Formative, obsidian returns in the form of lower-quality Aconcahua material. These data will be discussed in more detail below as obsidian use is explored by time period.