Obsidian from securely dated Late Archaic contexts show something of a reduction in regional distribution and a greater focus on locally available lithic material, suggesting a reduction in mobility or exchange in the Late Archaic. Similarly, projectile point styles became increasingly more limited in spatial distribution, with greater local variability during the Late Archaic implying reduced mobility(Klink and Aldenderfer 2005: 53). This is consistent with Aldenderfer's(1998: 260-261)observations about reduced mobility during the Late Archaic Qhuna Phase occupation at Asana when the occupants ceased to use non-local lithic raw materials. During this phase, Aldenderfer also describes increasingly formalized use of space at Asana, evidence of a ceremonial complex, and greater investment in seed grinding. In short, during this time a circumscribed population with reduced mobility was probably living in higher densities and exhibiting signs of ceremonial activity that are consistent with the scalar stress model for the emergence of leadership(Johnson 1982).

It is also worth considering the impact that scarcity may have on valuation. The lack of discarded obsidian signifies that it was not being knapped or resharpened and it was probably not abundant, but that does not mean that obsidian was not known in the larger consumption zone during this period. In the subsequent time period, the Terminal Archaic, obsidian becomes abundant on a regional scale at the same time as a host of other social and economic changes were occurring. This period, and the previously discussed Middle Archaic, correspond with what was referred to as the silencio arqueologico(Núñez and Santoro 1988)due to a dearth of archaeological data observed by investigators working in Northern Chile. The reduced evidence of circulation of obsidian from Chivay appears to correlate with a reduction in archaeological evidence regionally.

Thereis strong representation of Chivay obsidian in Arequipa at Sumbay, and it is likely that Late Archaic projectile point forms are found in the North Titicaca Basin as reported by Burger et al. (2000). However, at Asana there is little obsidian from the Colca. Possibly these reduced distributions of obsidian reflect the reduced mobility and more complex architectural investment in Late Archaic contexts at Asana(Aldenderfer 1998), and prior to the development of extensive, long distance exchange that were potentially initiated by early caravan networks during the Terminal Archaic.These conclusions, however, on not based on particularly robust data, as the sample of sites for this time period is relatively small.