| Popis: |
This chapter presents preliminary results of research aimed at studying the organization and imperial control of the mining complex of Los Infieles, in north-central Chile, during the Inca Period (ca. AD 1450–1541). A full coverage archaeological survey was conducted in the Los Infieles area (50 km2). The survey confirmed the presence of a large mining complex focused principally on the extraction of opaline silica and chrysocolla. The materials registered during the survey suggest that each of the five mining clusters recorded at Los Infieles included at least one large site, in which similar operational sequences of mining activities were conducted. The absence of lapidary workshop remains and the small size of remaining sorted minerals at the sites also suggest that the final products obtained from the mining operations were high-quality granule and pebble size minerals. The large number of mines and their associated facilities across the Los Infieles region support the idea that during the Inca Period, chrysocolla and opaline silica had much greater economic value than scholars have thought, at least at an imperial provincial level. The evidence collected thus far also indicates that the Inca state was significantly involved in sponsoring and supporting these mining operations. |
