The kitchen, the workshop and the ritual: exploring trajectories of plant processing in northwestern Argentina

Abstract

This work explores the trajectories of plant resources in Northwestern Argentina by means of material evidences of food processing, artefact production and psicoactive consumption. Evidences of useful plants from different archaeological sites located at Puna, Prepuna and Valliserrana areas, between ca. 6500-400 years BP., are analyzed. Every case study includes the milling and/or pounding of plant resources as one of several steps on their processing chains. This characteristic, particularly, allow us to identify the plant resources by means of their use residues (microscopic items such as microfossils) preserved on grinding tools surface (milling tools, mortars and pestles). Ethnographic, ethnoarchaeological and historical information is used to propose modalities for the processing of different plant resources related to production chains of food, psicoactive items and artefacts.