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This paper presents the results of bulk chemical compositional analyses of ceramic pastes through Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), which is the most precise method available for this kind of research. The analyses were carried out on 94 fragments of pottery from several archaeological sites in northern Chile's Atacama Desert (Fig 1, Table A.1). We aimed to examine the possible origins of pottery vessels distinguished by Inka and local styles within the process of the Inka State expansion into the territories south of Cusco, known as Collasuyu. On the basis of these analyses, we discuss the idea that the State introduced to the zone pottery with Inka iconographic styles from the Lake Titicaca region (more than 500 km away). But, more important, the State seems to have encouraged the replication of State pottery standards by local artisans, who consciously or unconsciously maintained certain traditional procedures. This means that skilled local artisans imitated Inka iconographic style but using paste of local origin. These results show the importance of archaeometric analysis of high-prestige fine Inka and local pottery as it sheds light on how the State managed their political strategies, their impact on the prehistoric polities of northern Chile (NCh).

Se ha propuesto para el noroeste de Argentina, entre el 1000 y 1400 AD, un estado de fragmentación política, situaciones de conflicto y la emergencia de jerarquías siendo una de las causas de esta situación los cambios climáticos que ocurrieron en los Andes alrededor del siglo XIII. La información arqueológica de las quebradas altas del valle Calchaquí medio, en la actual provincia de Salta, entre los siglos XI y XVII, nos permiten plantear la hipótesis de la continuidad en la ocupación de estos espacios siguiendo prácticas y lógicas de tiempos prehispánicos, que estuvieron vinculadas a la subsistencia y reproducción social, tales como el manejo estacional y altitudinal agrícola-ganadero por parte de las poblaciones locales. Nuestro objetivo es dar a conocer resultados de las investigaciones en las quebradas altas del valle Calchaquí intentando entender cómo podría haber sido la dinámica poblacional entre los siglos XI y XV a  partir de información arqueológica .

Se propone que las relaciones sociales entre áreas nucleares o áreas culturales centrales, escenarios de formaciones sociales de gran escala y las zonas extranucleares (semiperiferias, periferias y ultraperiferias) fueron complejas y no pueden ser descritas y explicadas con los paradigmas unilineales y unidireccionales del neoevolucionismo. La realidad de la región andina antigua y moderna muestra una gran variabilidad en los grados de negociación, aceptación, resistencia y tolerancia entre ambos sistemas sociales (centro y periferia). Por otro lado, las propias sociedades locales muestran variados procesos de cambio y continuidad, influenciados no sólo por la gran diversidad ecológica, en términos de producción y predictibilidad, sino también por los propios intereses sociales de las comunidades y sus líderes a través del tiempo. Palabras claves: áreas nucleares y áreas periféricas, interacción social, Andes. We believe that social interactions between core cultural areas, large scale political systems, and semi-peripheral, peripheral, and ultra-peripheral zones were more complex than previously thought, and that they cannot be described and explained by unidirectional and unilateral neo-evolutionary paradigms. Both ancient and modern Andean societies reveal great variability of social interactions, characterized by various social processes of negotiation, exchange and adoption, resistance, and tolerance between central and peripheral societies. Local societies also show much variability resulting primarily from locally derived developments and from the influence of a diversified ecosystem that presents certain difficulties of resource predictability and productivity.

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The Inca Empire annexed the modern territory of Northwest Argentina ca. 1450 AD. Inca presence manifested regionally with different intensity, highlighting that the Empire carried out different strategies when interacting with conquered populations even within the same region. Regional fluctuations in power centralization may affect the quality of life of local groups, regarding access to food, labour, conflict, or inequality. In this paper, we analyse stable isotopes, dental, and osteological information to evaluate if the individuals that inhabited the archaeological site Esquina de Huajra (Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy) experienced a deprived life quality under Inca administration. Isotopic results signal a balanced diet composed of both vegetal and animal resources, and skeletal indicators of health do not suggest a population undergoing stress.