The major insights provided by projectile points from this research are as follows. First, projectile points were a principal diagnostic artifact type and points were analyzed according to Klink and Aldenderfer's (2005) point typology in order to assign temporal control to surface materials in the survey area. According to the point typology, styles from the Terminal Archaic and later that were encountered (principally, series 5b and 5d), are not particularly time sensitive because the styles continued in use throughout the ceramic period (see Figure 3-10). As obsidian production intensified during the Terminal Archaic there is a strong correlation between obsidian and 5b and 5d point styles in the region, however the point typology could not be used to further study changes in obsidian production because the typology is not time-sensitive during the Terminal Archaic to Late Horizon time block.

Diagnostic projectile points recovered in the course of this research show that the Chivay source area was occupied since the early Holocene. Obsidian is used for the majority of projectile point manufacture in the Upper Colca project area except during the Late Archaic when heavy, stemmed points are used throughout the south-central Andes, and andesites dominate projectile point materials even close to the Chivay source.

Projectile point styles diagnostic to the Terminal Archaic and later are overwhelmingly made of obsidian. This pattern holds in the regional consumption zone as well, supporting the assertion that it is during the Terminal Archaic that obsidian becomes more widely known, and that the Chivay source area acquires new significance in the geography of prehispanic Andean peoples. Evidence from consumption contexts shows that projectile points were the principal formal artifact made from obsidian, and as most obsidian was procured during the time period associated with Series 5 point styles, the formal tools produced from the material were predominantly small, triangular points. It is interesting, therefore, that this research encountered evidence that ancient peoples appear to have targeted larger nodules and the maximizing of obsidian quality and nodule size because the objective pieces were quite small.

The small size of series 5d projectile points provides examples that sometimes defy the expectations of distance-decay. In the excavation work in Block 2, in the A02-39u4 test unit in a level dated to the Late Formative extremely small 5d point was encountered. This complete point [L03-60.3] was delicately pressure flaked; it measured just 1.3 cm in length, and it weighed less than 0.1g. This remarkably small point was noticed in the fine 1/16" screen. However, 29 complete obsidian projectile points were identified in the Block 2 area that weighed less than 1g, all series 5 points, and it is clear that small, light projectiles were the intended product in this type of obsidian production. Yet, these sites were just one day's travel from the obsidian source and obsidian is relatively abundant in Block 2 and these points beg the question: "why economize with material by knapping such miniscule projectile points?" As was observed by Close (1999) with North African bladelets, artifact forms can trump the expectations of distance decay and very small artifacts may be produced in areas that are rich in raw material. Production at the Chivay obsidian source area in certain periods in prehistory appears to have been one such context.

If the production of types 5b and 5d projectile points, with a mean length of 3-4 cm, was the objective then why excavate for 15-20 cm long nodules at Maymeja? First, the utility of freshly struck obsidian flakes for a variety of cutting and shearing tasks is widely recognized as a principal appeal of this material. Therefore a large nodule represents the potential for producing formal tools, but a large obsidian nodule also represents a transportable and exchangeable source of sharp flakes. Second, in the distance-decay context of single source raw materials like obsidian, large nodules contain greater potential both in terms of prestige for the owner, because evidently the owner is closer to the source of these desired goods, but also in terms of exchangeability and possible tool forms. Thus, even if tiny projectile points were the ultimate tool form for obsidian, the acquisition of large nodules that were then conveyed directly to distant consumers with the aid of pack animals probably represented the largest return in terms of both symbolic and material wealth for the procurer.