﻿620 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  CULTURE 
  

   SUBSISTENCE 
  ACTIVITIES 
  

  

  Agriculture, 
  the 
  principal 
  source 
  of 
  livelihood 
  of 
  these 
  tribes, 
  neces- 
  

   sitated 
  their 
  overcoming 
  the 
  obstacles 
  presented 
  by 
  scarcity 
  of 
  water 
  

   and 
  by 
  stony, 
  irregular 
  land. 
  To 
  make 
  the 
  best 
  use 
  of 
  hillside 
  land, 
  

   they 
  made 
  andenes, 
  or 
  terraces 
  (pi. 
  136, 
  top),iov 
  cultivation, 
  building 
  

   up 
  the 
  retaining 
  walls 
  with 
  stones 
  and 
  removing 
  the 
  smallest 
  pebbles 
  

   from 
  the 
  soil. 
  Typical 
  examples 
  of 
  these 
  stepped 
  terraces 
  can 
  be 
  

   seen 
  in 
  Sayate 
  and 
  Casabindo, 
  on 
  the 
  Puna, 
  and 
  in 
  Coctaca 
  and 
  

   Alfarcito, 
  in 
  the 
  Quebrada. 
  Most 
  crops 
  were 
  "temporal," 
  that 
  is, 
  

   entirely 
  dependent 
  on 
  rainfall. 
  However, 
  in 
  the 
  Quebrada 
  of 
  Huma- 
  

   huaca, 
  the 
  natives 
  irrigated 
  their 
  fields 
  from 
  the 
  springs 
  and 
  streams 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  drains 
  cut 
  in 
  the 
  rock 
  or 
  built 
  up 
  with 
  stones. 
  Farming 
  

   tools 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  hoe, 
  shovel, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  hardwood 
  or 
  stone 
  knife; 
  

   these 
  implements 
  had 
  wooden 
  handles 
  (fig. 
  50). 
  The 
  main 
  crops 
  

   were 
  maize, 
  potatoes, 
  quinoa, 
  and 
  beans 
  (porotos). 
  The 
  first 
  two 
  were 
  

   preserved 
  in 
  granaries 
  (silos) 
  that 
  were 
  generally 
  built 
  underground 
  

   (fig. 
  51). 
  The 
  granaries 
  had 
  stone 
  walls 
  and 
  a 
  roof 
  of 
  large 
  slabs 
  

   forming 
  a 
  false 
  arch. 
  Other 
  slabs 
  were 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  keep 
  

   out 
  the 
  dampness 
  and 
  rodents. 
  On 
  the 
  Puna, 
  grottoes 
  or 
  caves 
  

   served 
  as 
  granaries. 
  

  

  Stock 
  raising 
  was 
  highly 
  developed 
  although 
  the 
  only 
  domesticated 
  

   animal 
  was 
  the 
  llama. 
  The 
  remnants 
  of 
  corrals 
  prove 
  that 
  the 
  herds 
  

   were 
  numerous. 
  The 
  llama 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  source 
  of 
  wealth 
  to 
  the 
  Indians, 
  

   being 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  beast 
  of 
  burden, 
  as 
  a 
  food, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  wool 
  for 
  

   weaving 
  and 
  of 
  bones 
  for 
  making 
  tools 
  and 
  ornaments. 
  

  

  Although 
  engaged 
  primarily 
  in 
  tilling 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  tending 
  their 
  

   flocks, 
  the 
  pre-Hispanic 
  peoples 
  did 
  not 
  neglect 
  the 
  meager 
  natural 
  

   sources 
  of 
  food: 
  In 
  some 
  sheltered 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  Quebrada 
  they 
  gathered 
  

   algarroba, 
  gourds 
  (calabazas), 
  and 
  cactus 
  fruit 
  (tunas), 
  and, 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  entire 
  region, 
  they 
  hunted 
  vicuna, 
  guanaco, 
  duck, 
  etc. 
  

  

  HOUSES 
  

  

  Dwellings 
  were 
  built 
  with 
  dry-masonry 
  walls 
  of 
  boulders 
  or 
  slabs, 
  

   or, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  of 
  stones 
  set 
  on 
  edge. 
  No 
  mortar 
  or 
  adobe 
  was 
  used, 
  

   the 
  stones 
  being 
  so 
  skillfully 
  laid 
  as 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  place. 
  Doors 
  were 
  

   small. 
  Occasionally, 
  there 
  were 
  niches 
  in 
  the 
  walls. 
  Specially 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  tombs 
  were 
  made 
  beneath 
  the 
  floor 
  level, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   corners 
  of 
  houses. 
  Roofs 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  placing 
  log 
  rafters 
  across 
  

   the 
  walls 
  and 
  covering 
  them 
  with 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  layers 
  of 
  reeds, 
  which 
  

   were 
  coated 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  mud 
  mixed 
  with 
  straw. 
  Such 
  roofs 
  kept 
  

   out 
  moisture 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  time. 
  This 
  type 
  of 
  construction 
  is 
  

   still 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  area, 
  and 
  is 
  called 
  techo 
  de 
  torta. 
  

  

  