Mining has played a critical role in the southern Andes from at least the 14th century until the present time. Local Aymara Indians mined silver and copper to produce ornaments and ritual items, Inka and Spanish expansion into the area were motivated by the presence of rich mineral deposits, and the extraction of tin and zinc has dominated the economy since the late 19th century. Both Spanish colonial documents and the archaeological record suggest that Porco, a mining center in southern Bolivia, was deeply involved in these processes. The mines surrounding the modern village were the focal point of a pre-Inkaic religious cult, supplied the silver that ornamented the Inka Temple of the Sun in Cuzco, were among the most lucrative holdings of the Pizarro brothers in the mid-sixteenth century, and are currently the largest producers of zinc in Bolivia. Porco thus offers an important window into the transformations that occurred under Inka and Spanish rule, as well as the long term trajectory of mineral production in the southern Andes.
With funding from the National Science Foundation Dr. Mary Van Buren will direct a multidisciplinary team comprised of specialists in archaeology, ancient metallurgy, geology, archaeomagnetic dating techniques, and fuel analysis to conduct two seasons of field work in Porco. The primary objectives of this research are to 1) reconstruct and compare the social and technical organization of metal production at Porco under the Inka and Spanish regimes; 2) assess the degree to which productive activities varied during these two periods; and 3) trace the use of small-scale processing technology, particularly smelters, from Inka times until the present by local households operating outside government or elite control.
The data necessary to address these issues will be collected by means of pedestrian surveys surrounding the mines and in outlying areas that may have supported agricultural populations, followed by excavation and detailed analysis of processing facilities, especially smelters, identified during the surveys. Geological samples will be taken to identify the ores available and selected for smelting, analysis of waste products and associated fuel will provide information about the different ways in which ores were processed, and an intensive program combining radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating will be implemented in order to gain the chronological data necessary to assess changes in smelting procedures over time.
This research will result in a detailed reconstruction of the ways in which metal production was organized under different political regimes and will provide insight into the nature of technical and organization innovation, the extent to which elites controlled production, and ultimately the strategies deployed by states for extracting surpluses from conquered populations. In addition to illuminating critical processes in the long-term development of the Bolivian mining industry, the research will train local and U.S. students by incorporating them into the varied research activities conducted by team members, will enhance the ability of the University Museum in nearby Potosi to support future archaeological research, and perhaps most importantly, will provide the local population in Porco with information about the critical role that they and their ancestors have played in the emergence of the contemporary mining economy.
