﻿118 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  The 
  harsh 
  environment 
  of 
  the 
  altiplano 
  makes 
  it 
  unlikely 
  that 
  the 
  

   economic 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  was 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  today. 
  Pota- 
  

   toes, 
  oca, 
  and 
  quinoa 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  the 
  basic 
  foods. 
  The 
  domesti- 
  

   cated 
  llamas 
  and 
  alpacas 
  are 
  common 
  today 
  and 
  their 
  presence 
  in 
  the 
  

   past 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  bones, 
  modeled 
  pottery, 
  and 
  painted 
  designs. 
  It 
  is 
  

   doubtful 
  if 
  the 
  available 
  farm 
  land 
  was 
  much 
  greater 
  in 
  the 
  past, 
  and 
  

   consequently 
  the 
  population 
  has 
  probably 
  always 
  been 
  distributed 
  in 
  

   clusters 
  around 
  the 
  general 
  region 
  of 
  Lake 
  Titicaca. 
  The 
  interpreta- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  Tiahuanaco 
  as 
  a 
  type 
  of 
  Mecca 
  to 
  which 
  pilgrims 
  

   came 
  to 
  pay 
  tribute 
  in 
  labor 
  and 
  stone 
  carving 
  is 
  feasible, 
  but 
  an 
  alter- 
  

   native 
  explanation 
  that 
  Tiahuanaco 
  was 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  con- 
  

   centrated 
  population 
  is 
  not 
  consistent 
  with 
  existing 
  environmental 
  

   conditions. 
  

  

  CHIRIPA 
  

  

  The 
  Chiripa 
  style 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  its 
  type 
  site 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  

   of 
  Lake 
  Titicaca 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  refuse 
  deposit 
  on 
  the 
  Island 
  of 
  Pariti. 
  In 
  

   spite 
  of 
  the 
  limited 
  discoveries, 
  Chiripa 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  a 
  distinctive 
  

   house 
  type, 
  a 
  village 
  pattern, 
  characteristic 
  ceramics, 
  and 
  numerous 
  

   bone 
  tools, 
  stone 
  artifacts, 
  and 
  metals. 
  No 
  Tiahuanaco 
  influence 
  is 
  

   seen 
  in 
  these 
  materials. 
  Stratigraphic 
  excavations 
  have 
  placed 
  the 
  

   Chiripa 
  Period 
  as 
  definitely 
  pre-Decadent 
  Tiahuanaco, 
  but 
  whether 
  

   it 
  comes 
  before 
  or 
  after 
  the 
  Classic 
  Tiahuanaco 
  is 
  still 
  not 
  established. 
  

   In 
  any 
  case, 
  Chiripa 
  is 
  of 
  considerable 
  interest, 
  since 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  

   post-Classic, 
  it 
  would 
  demonstrate 
  that 
  foreign 
  styles 
  could 
  exist 
  in 
  a 
  

   region 
  dominated 
  by 
  Tiahuanaco 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   Classic, 
  it 
  represents 
  an 
  important 
  Early 
  Period. 
  

  

  The 
  Chiripa 
  village 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  rectangular 
  houses, 
  built 
  

   corner 
  to 
  corner 
  around 
  a 
  circle. 
  At 
  the 
  type 
  site, 
  3 
  houses 
  were 
  un- 
  

   covered 
  and 
  an 
  estimate 
  was 
  made 
  that 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  14 
  formed 
  the 
  village 
  

   circle. 
  All 
  the 
  doorways 
  face 
  toward 
  the 
  central 
  plaza. 
  The 
  house 
  

   walls 
  have 
  3 
  feet 
  (1 
  m.) 
  of 
  foundation 
  made 
  of 
  small 
  stones 
  packed 
  in 
  

   clay. 
  The 
  walls 
  were 
  built 
  up 
  higher 
  with 
  rectangular 
  adobes 
  and 
  

   roofed 
  with 
  sticks 
  and 
  grass. 
  All 
  walls 
  are 
  double, 
  and 
  the 
  hollow 
  

   space 
  between 
  served 
  as 
  storage 
  bins 
  entered 
  from 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  

   house 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  rectangular 
  windows 
  with 
  adobe 
  lintels. 
  The 
  door- 
  

   steps 
  are 
  paved 
  with 
  flagstones, 
  and 
  the 
  entrance 
  itself 
  has 
  a 
  double 
  

   thick 
  wall 
  with 
  a 
  slot 
  for 
  a 
  sliding, 
  panel-type 
  door. 
  The 
  circular 
  vil- 
  

   lage 
  plan 
  and 
  the 
  double-wall 
  house 
  type 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  found 
  else- 
  

   where 
  in 
  Perti 
  and 
  Bolivia. 
  This 
  is 
  surprising, 
  since 
  house 
  walls 
  with 
  

   an 
  air 
  space 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  facings 
  would 
  seem 
  exceedingly 
  practical 
  

   for 
  warmth 
  in 
  the 
  cold 
  altiplano. 
  

  

  The 
  houses 
  rested 
  on 
  a 
  low, 
  raised 
  ridge 
  below 
  which 
  was 
  about 
  

   Q}i 
  feet 
  (2 
  m.) 
  of 
  stratified 
  deposit 
  containing 
  wash 
  dirt, 
  rough 
  stone 
  

   walls, 
  a 
  few 
  flexed 
  burials, 
  potsherds, 
  and 
  other 
  artifacts. 
  Under 
  the 
  

  

  