New Excavations in Tulán-54 Site: Revealing the Ceremonial Architecture During the Early Formative Period of the Puna De Atacama
Authors
Lautaro Núñez A.
Instituto de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Museo Gustavo Le Paige (IIAM), Universidad Católica del Norte, Calle
Gustavo Le Paige Nº 380, San Pedro de Atacama
Isabel Cartajena
Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Chile, Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1045, Ñuñoa
Carlos Carrasco
Colegio de Arqueólogos, Santiago
Patricio López M.
ARQMAR-Centro de Investigaciones en Arqueología Marítima del Pacífico Sur Oriental, Valparaíso
Francisco Rivera
SurAndino Estudios Arqueológicos y Patrimoniales Ltda.
Patricio de Souza
Colegio de Arqueólogos, Santiago
Boris Santander
Departamento de Antropología, Universidad Alberto Hurtado. Almirante Barroso #10, Santiago
Rodrigo Loyola
Departamento de Antropología, Universidad Alberto Hurtado. Almirante Barroso #10, Santiago
Excavations at the Tulán-54 site (TU-54), located at the southeast of Salar de Atacama, have allowed the identification of occupations characteristic of the Tilocalar Phase, in the Early Formative period (3,100- 2,400 BP). Architectural and contextual evidence showed a combination of ritual elements, including a small central temple, infant burials, and traces of feasts, disposed within a perimeter wall with alternated niches. The surface of the site, consisting in 2,700 m2, is mound shaped with stratified deposits, of which archaeological excavations have only covered a small percentage. Due to the nature of TU-54, a site without-visible surface structures, it was necessary to combine a number of archaeological and geophysical methods and techniques, which had not previously been used on the site and whose objectives were focused on: (1) identifying underlying structures, (2) visualizing cultural and biological stratigraphic deposits that sustained the occupation, and (3) comparing the structures already exposed in the small temple with the results obtained through geophysical techniques. The results obtained through the GPR revealed points of possible underlying structures; some of which were selected for 1m2 excavations. The combination of GPR detection associated with stratigraphic excavations, allowed the identification of previously unrecognized architectural areas and features, extending and complexifying our understanding of the functions of Tulán- 54’s ceremonial center.
Keywords:
Tulán, Early Formative, Small Temple, Architecture, Ground Penetrating Radar
Núñez A., L., Cartajena, I., Carrasco, C., López M., P., Rivera, F., Souza, P. de, Santander, B., & Loyola, R. (2017). New Excavations in Tulán-54 Site: Revealing the Ceremonial Architecture During the Early Formative Period of the Puna De Atacama. Revista Chilena De Antropología, (34). Retrieved from https://revistachilenahumanidades.uchile.cl/index.php/RCA/article/view/45149
