﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  ARCHEOLOGY 
  OF 
  CENTRAL 
  ANDES 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  69 
  

  

  show 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  revert 
  to 
  valley 
  independence. 
  In 
  general, 
  a 
  

   division 
  into 
  North 
  Coast, 
  Central 
  Coast, 
  and 
  South 
  Coast 
  valleys 
  

   is 
  satisfactory, 
  but 
  in 
  any 
  particular 
  study 
  a 
  division 
  into 
  smaller 
  

   units 
  is 
  necessary. 
  

  

  The 
  dryness 
  of 
  the 
  Coast 
  of 
  Peru 
  preserves 
  materials, 
  particularly 
  

   when 
  buried 
  in 
  cemeteries 
  in 
  the 
  desert 
  sands. 
  Such 
  perishable 
  ob- 
  

   jects 
  as 
  textiles, 
  calabashes, 
  featherwork, 
  wooden 
  artifacts, 
  and 
  plants 
  

   are 
  all 
  well 
  preserved. 
  This 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  false 
  impression 
  that 
  

   the 
  Coast 
  cultures 
  were 
  more 
  advanced 
  than 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  rainy 
  

   Highlands, 
  where 
  preservation 
  is 
  bad. 
  

  

  The 
  Highland 
  region 
  of 
  Peru 
  and 
  Bolivia 
  presents 
  many 
  contrasts 
  

   in 
  topography 
  and 
  environment. 
  Much 
  of 
  the 
  terrain 
  is 
  uninhabit- 
  

   able 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  altitudes 
  and 
  the 
  barrenness. 
  The 
  habit- 
  

   able 
  parts 
  are 
  largely 
  intermont 
  plateaus, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  altiplano 
  

   in 
  southern 
  Peru 
  and 
  Bolivia 
  is 
  the 
  largest. 
  Life 
  is 
  also 
  possible 
  in 
  

   the 
  deep 
  river 
  valleys 
  which 
  cut 
  through 
  the 
  mountain 
  chain. 
  Most 
  

   of 
  the 
  Highland 
  region 
  is 
  unforested, 
  and 
  great 
  stretches 
  of 
  the 
  terri- 
  

   tory 
  are 
  classed 
  by 
  geographers 
  as 
  grassland, 
  bushland, 
  or 
  even 
  des- 
  

   ert. 
  Because 
  of 
  the 
  altitude, 
  the 
  climate 
  is 
  cold 
  throughout 
  the 
  year 
  

   but 
  freezing 
  temperatures 
  are 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  inhabited 
  sections. 
  The 
  

   range 
  in 
  temperature 
  throughout 
  the 
  24 
  hours 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  is 
  great. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  receives 
  ample 
  rainfall 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  from 
  Decem- 
  

   ber 
  to 
  March. 
  

  

  The 
  wild-animal 
  life 
  today 
  is 
  limited, 
  although 
  vicufia, 
  viscacha, 
  fox, 
  

   chinchilla, 
  deer, 
  and 
  game 
  birds 
  are 
  available. 
  However, 
  both 
  the 
  

   llama 
  and 
  the 
  alpaca 
  were 
  domesticated 
  from 
  some 
  wild 
  form 
  like 
  the 
  

   vicuna 
  or 
  guanaco, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  indications 
  that 
  game 
  was 
  far 
  

   more 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  past. 
  The 
  same 
  can 
  be 
  said 
  for 
  wild 
  plants, 
  

   since 
  this 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  regions 
  in 
  which 
  potatoes, 
  quinoa, 
  oca, 
  and 
  

   arracacha 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  first 
  domesticated. 
  In 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  

   Coast, 
  the 
  Highland 
  region 
  was 
  probably 
  quite 
  attractive 
  to 
  early 
  

   hunting 
  and 
  gathering 
  groups, 
  although 
  traces 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  

   been 
  found 
  by 
  the 
  archeologists. 
  For 
  agriculturists, 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  

   numerous 
  advantages 
  in 
  the 
  high 
  mountains. 
  Stone 
  and 
  adobe 
  are 
  

   available 
  for 
  building 
  materials, 
  although 
  wood, 
  in 
  general, 
  is 
  absent. 
  

   There 
  is 
  clay 
  for 
  pottery, 
  wool 
  for 
  weaving, 
  grass 
  for 
  plaiting, 
  and 
  

   reeds 
  in 
  the 
  lakes 
  for 
  making 
  mats 
  and 
  boats. 
  Likewise, 
  the 
  Andes 
  

   are 
  rich 
  in 
  minerals; 
  and 
  copper, 
  silver, 
  gold, 
  tin, 
  and 
  mercury 
  were 
  

   all 
  utilized 
  in 
  pre-Spanish 
  times. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  population 
  clusters 
  in 
  the 
  Highlands 
  correspond 
  closely 
  

   to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  mining 
  

   centers. 
  These 
  population 
  clusters 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  natural 
  areas, 
  such 
  

   as 
  plateaus 
  or 
  mountain 
  river 
  valleys, 
  where 
  land 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  sub- 
  

   sistence 
  agriculture, 
  and 
  where 
  grasslands 
  are 
  available 
  for 
  pasturage. 
  

   The 
  clusters 
  are 
  separated 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  by 
  stretches 
  of 
  virtually 
  

  

  