﻿64 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  In 
  resume, 
  the 
  differences 
  in 
  archeological 
  periods 
  throughout 
  Peru 
  

   and 
  Bolivia 
  are 
  essentially 
  those 
  of 
  selection 
  and 
  emphasis 
  rather 
  

   than 
  startling 
  contrasts 
  in 
  basic 
  techniques 
  or 
  materials. 
  Weaving 
  

   furnishes 
  an 
  excellent 
  illustration. 
  The 
  basic 
  fibers 
  in 
  all 
  periods 
  are 
  

   wool 
  and 
  cotton, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  wool 
  was 
  essentially 
  a 
  High- 
  

   land 
  product 
  and 
  cotton 
  was 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  Coast. 
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  

   basic 
  weaving 
  techniques 
  were 
  known 
  throughout 
  all 
  the 
  periods, 
  and 
  

   no 
  improvements 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  standard 
  girdle-back 
  loom. 
  The 
  

   differences 
  in 
  textiles 
  from 
  region 
  to 
  region, 
  or 
  from 
  period 
  to 
  period, 
  

   are 
  essentially 
  due 
  to 
  selection 
  or 
  preference 
  for 
  certain 
  techniques 
  

   and 
  designs, 
  rather 
  than 
  radical 
  changes 
  in 
  technology. 
  

  

  This 
  unity 
  of 
  achievement 
  in 
  Peru 
  and 
  Bolivia, 
  regardless 
  of 
  geo- 
  

   graphical 
  and 
  time 
  differences, 
  implies 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  development 
  was 
  

   relatively 
  independent 
  of 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  Americas. 
  This 
  does 
  not 
  

   deny 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  external 
  influences 
  from 
  Colombia, 
  Central 
  

   America, 
  and 
  the 
  Amazon, 
  but 
  rather 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  region 
  was 
  

   sufficiently 
  advanced 
  and 
  organized 
  to 
  resist 
  any 
  wholesale 
  migration 
  

   or 
  influence 
  from 
  the 
  outside. 
  

  

  PROBLEMS 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  region 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  the 
  one 
  treated 
  here 
  and 
  one 
  which 
  maintained 
  

   a 
  comparatively 
  complex 
  civilization 
  for 
  many 
  centuries, 
  the 
  number 
  

   and 
  variety 
  of 
  problems 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  materials 
  are 
  

   myriad. 
  A 
  few 
  samples 
  are 
  discussed 
  below: 
  

  

  (1) 
  Chronology.— 
  The 
  major 
  emphasis 
  of 
  archeologists 
  working 
  in 
  

   the 
  Andean 
  region 
  is 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  chronology. 
  The 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  

   written 
  records 
  or 
  calendrical 
  dates 
  has 
  made 
  it 
  imperative 
  to 
  arrange 
  

   the 
  mass 
  of 
  materials 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  in 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  relative 
  chronological 
  

   order. 
  The 
  techniques 
  which 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  been 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  chrono- 
  

   logical 
  studies 
  are 
  standard 
  practices 
  in 
  archeological 
  work, 
  such 
  as 
  

   stratigraphy 
  in 
  refuse 
  sites, 
  building 
  stratigraphy, 
  grave 
  overlapping, 
  

   combination 
  of 
  building 
  and 
  grave 
  stratigraphy, 
  grave 
  isolation, 
  unit- 
  

   site 
  isolation, 
  developmental 
  sequences 
  in 
  art 
  styles, 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  historical 
  

   materials, 
  and 
  distribution 
  reconstruction. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  this, 
  more 
  

   refinements 
  are 
  necessary. 
  No 
  attempt 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  apply 
  

   the 
  science 
  of 
  tree-ring 
  dating 
  to 
  the 
  Andean 
  region. 
  Practically 
  all 
  

   the 
  chronological 
  studies 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  been 
  based 
  on 
  ceramics, 
  which 
  

   are 
  the 
  best 
  preserved 
  and 
  the 
  easiest 
  to 
  handle. 
  It 
  is 
  equally 
  im- 
  

   portant, 
  however, 
  to 
  include 
  other 
  materials 
  such 
  as 
  textiles, 
  metals, 
  

   stone 
  carving, 
  and 
  masonry. 
  A 
  sound 
  Andean 
  chronology 
  is 
  important 
  

   for 
  cross-dating 
  all 
  South 
  American 
  archeology, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  equally 
  basic 
  

   for 
  numerous 
  other 
  types 
  of 
  study, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  tracing 
  of 
  art 
  sequences. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Trends. 
  — 
  The 
  Peru-Bolivia 
  region 
  presents 
  a 
  long 
  and 
  complex 
  

   archeological 
  past, 
  good 
  historical 
  source 
  material 
  on 
  the 
  Inca 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  and, 
  finally, 
  numerous 
  living 
  Indians 
  who 
  still 
  

  

  