Paisajes Rituales

In this paper we will realize the new research in the Nevados de Cachi, Salta, Argentina by focusing on the
site that we called Uña Tambo, and what was its integration within the network of Inka sites in the region.
We’ll concentrate on some aspects of the settlement archaeoastronomical, without neglecting the visual
and symbolic importance of the location in that kind of sites as well as their relevance within Inka rituals
related to water, agriculture and the cult of Apus.

In this paper we present a first approach to the archaeological site known as Rincón de las Llamas (RDL1) located in the North
Calchaquí valley, Salta province, Argentina. The site, situated on top of a hillock near the Cortaderas Inka complex, is a rocky outcrop
where we found 40 engraved rocks depicting figurative and abstract motifs. We surveyed the outcrop and analyzed the arrangement of
the motifs from a compositional, representational, and spatial point of view in order to suggest their chronology and cultural identity.

The impact of expansive incaic policies in northwestern of Argentina have traditionally been
evaluated focussing on the potential for economic exploitation in the regions incorporated in to
the empire. Thus, the application and testing of theoretical models of imperial development and
expansion have been a useful guidance to predict and explain the material correlation of an
economic and political expansion. Ideological aspects, on the other hand, have historically been
less appreciated. In this article, colonial chronicles have been taken into account to picture certain
aspects of the Andean world view and to underline the importance of their inclusion and use in
archaeological investigations.

In this paper, we present results of astronomical and landscape analysis at four Inca sites located in the Nevados de Cachi area, North Calchaquí Valley, Salta Province, Argentina. Selection criteria took into consideration the existence of certain traits of paramount importance amongst Inca architecture, such as ushnu platforms, gnomons and a particularly interesting petroglyph located in a high-altitude sanctuary. Results show that the location and spatial layout of certain Inca settlements, as well as certain structures within, were designed and located based on astronomical observation patterns centred on solstices, equinoxes and lunar standstills.

Este artículo presenta nuevos datos e interpretaciones respecto del modo en que los Inkas utilizaron la arquitectura para manipular las experiencias somáticas de las comunidades que habitaban el valle Calchaquí Norte (Salta, Argentina) a partir del control de su participación en espacios ritualizados. En esta línea, nos focalizaremos en las experiencias disímiles que estos espacios promovieron, ya sea a partir del estímulo de ciertas modalidades sensoriales sobre otras o mediante la secuenciación e intensidad con las que ellas intervinieron. Recientemente, y en respuesta al ocularcentrismo predominante en esta clase de investigaciones, se ha planteado la necesidad de integrar sentidos adicionales a la vista y avanzar hacia paisajes sonoros. Este trabajo expone la permeabilidad visual y las propiedades acústicas de la plaza de un pequeño asentamiento predominantemente Inka a partir de ensayos experimentales in situ y el modelado tridimensional de la arquitectura y de la dispersión de vectores de sonido. Propondremos que una cuidadosa planificación destinada a espacializar grupos y prácticas no se circunscribió a habilitar e inhibir selectivamente la accesibilidad visual a la plaza, sino que además utilizó la accesibilidad auditiva para crear diferentes experiencias entre sus visitantes. Palabras claves: conquista Inka, espacialidad, arquitectura, paisajes sonoros. This article presents new data and interpretations on how Inka representatives utilized the architecture of ritualized spaces to manipulate local communities' somatic experiences. In an attempt to overcome the prevailing ocularcentrism among this line of inquiry, it has been suggested that additional senses should be considered, and some scholars have begun to advance towards the study of ancient soundscapes. This article will focus on the plaza of an Inka settlement located in the North Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina) paying specific attention to how it privileged certain sensorial modalities and managed their sequential stimulus and intensity. It article presents an analysis that combines on-field visual and acoustical permeability data generation, with three-dimensional models of architecture, terrain, and sound propagation. Results indicate that a careful layout design not only spatialized groups and practices, but also created different experiences by promoting disparate visual and acoustic stimulations upon approaching and entering the plaza.