﻿40 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  by 
  poles, 
  and 
  the 
  roofing 
  was 
  of 
  poles 
  and 
  thatch. 
  Although 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  houses 
  are 
  of 
  reasonably 
  large 
  size 
  and 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  as 
  

   community 
  centers, 
  the 
  large 
  public 
  edifices, 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   Central 
  Andean 
  pattern, 
  are 
  not 
  found. 
  Forts 
  were 
  built 
  at 
  strategic 
  

   points, 
  for 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  were 
  warlike. 
  

  

  The 
  spear 
  thrower 
  was 
  used, 
  but 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow 
  was 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  weapon. 
  The 
  stone- 
  and 
  bone-pointed 
  arrows 
  were 
  carried 
  in 
  a 
  

   quiver. 
  A 
  bronze 
  hand 
  weapon 
  with 
  a 
  point 
  called 
  a 
  knuckle 
  duster 
  

   and 
  the 
  stone-headed 
  club 
  were 
  other 
  typical 
  weapons. 
  Bolas 
  were 
  

   also 
  common, 
  perhaps 
  because 
  of 
  greater 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  hunting 
  

   tribes 
  of 
  Patagonia 
  and 
  the 
  Pampas. 
  

  

  Diaguita 
  ceramics 
  are 
  of 
  good 
  quality 
  and 
  differ 
  in 
  shapes 
  and 
  

   designs 
  from 
  Peruvian 
  and 
  Bolivian 
  types. 
  Two 
  basic 
  ceramic 
  styles, 
  

   the 
  Santa 
  Maria 
  and 
  the 
  Draconian, 
  have 
  mutually 
  exclusive 
  distri- 
  

   bution 
  and 
  suggest 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  dividing 
  Diaguita 
  culture. 
  Little 
  use 
  

   was 
  made 
  of 
  gold 
  and 
  silver, 
  but 
  copper 
  and 
  bronze 
  objects 
  were 
  

   numerous 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  -pre-Inca 
  days. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  metal 
  artifacts 
  

   are 
  of 
  known 
  Inca 
  types, 
  such 
  as 
  axes, 
  knives, 
  chisels, 
  hoes, 
  and 
  club 
  

   heads. 
  However, 
  distinctive 
  metal 
  objects 
  were 
  also 
  made: 
  bronze 
  

   bells, 
  relief-decorated 
  breastplates, 
  scepters, 
  socketed 
  bronze 
  axes, 
  

   pestles, 
  and 
  knuckle 
  dusters. 
  Weaving 
  was 
  well 
  developed, 
  and 
  the 
  

   fabricated 
  articles 
  of 
  clothing 
  follow 
  the 
  standard 
  Highland 
  pattern. 
  

   Coiled 
  basketry 
  and 
  numerous 
  wooden 
  articles 
  were 
  also 
  made. 
  

  

  The 
  little 
  that 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  Diaguita 
  social 
  culture 
  suggests 
  a 
  simpli- 
  

   fied 
  Central 
  Andean 
  pattern. 
  The 
  naming 
  ceremony 
  for 
  infants 
  was 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  cutting 
  off 
  locks 
  of 
  hair. 
  Sororal 
  polygamy 
  and 
  the 
  

   levirate 
  are 
  reported. 
  Burial 
  was 
  important 
  and 
  the 
  graves 
  contain 
  

   offerings 
  of 
  many 
  valuable 
  objects. 
  However, 
  cemeteries 
  which 
  con- 
  

   tain 
  only 
  child 
  burials 
  in 
  urns 
  are 
  a 
  distinctive 
  characteristic. 
  Some 
  

   adult 
  urn 
  burials 
  are 
  also 
  found, 
  but 
  direct 
  burial 
  in 
  circular, 
  stone- 
  

   lined 
  graves 
  is 
  more 
  common. 
  Urn 
  burial 
  may 
  represent 
  an 
  influence 
  

   from 
  the 
  Amazonian 
  region, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  Andean 
  characteristic. 
  

   Differences 
  in 
  richness 
  of 
  burial 
  suggest 
  that 
  class 
  distinctions 
  existed, 
  

   but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  for 
  a 
  rigid 
  caste 
  system. 
  Permanent 
  large- 
  

   scale 
  political 
  organization 
  was 
  lacking. 
  However, 
  the 
  chiefs 
  of 
  small 
  

   units 
  often 
  united 
  in 
  alliances, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  became 
  quite 
  powerful. 
  

  

  Early 
  Spanish 
  accounts 
  describe 
  special 
  rain 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  others 
  

   associated 
  with 
  the 
  agricultural 
  seasons 
  in 
  which 
  ceremonial 
  drunken- 
  

   ness 
  was 
  a 
  feature. 
  These 
  ceremonies 
  were 
  led 
  by 
  individuals 
  desig- 
  

   nated 
  as 
  priests, 
  but 
  the 
  descriptions 
  do 
  not 
  suggest 
  a 
  well-organized 
  

   priesthood. 
  

  

  The 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  expansion 
  into 
  Chile 
  is 
  uncertain. 
  In 
  gen- 
  

   eral, 
  the 
  Chilean 
  Diaguita 
  differed 
  only 
  in 
  details 
  of 
  culture. 
  The 
  Inca 
  

   mitima 
  system 
  eliminated 
  most 
  of 
  this 
  culture 
  even 
  before 
  the 
  Con- 
  

   quest. 
  

  

  