﻿Vol.2] 
  DIAGUITA 
  OF 
  ARGENTINA 
  — 
  MARQUEZ 
  MIRANDA 
  649 
  

  

  Weapons. 
  — 
  The 
  Calchaqui 
  were 
  essentially 
  warlike. 
  (See 
  War- 
  

   fare 
  p. 
  651.) 
  Their 
  main 
  weapon 
  was 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  but 
  they 
  

   may 
  rarely 
  have 
  used 
  the 
  spear 
  thrower 
  and 
  javelin. 
  In 
  close 
  fighting 
  

   they 
  used 
  clubs 
  with 
  annular 
  or 
  star-heads 
  of 
  stone 
  or 
  star-heads 
  of 
  

   copper. 
  From 
  the 
  forts 
  (pucaras), 
  they 
  rolled 
  rocks 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  

   enemy. 
  

  

  The 
  Los 
  Barreales 
  subarea 
  differs 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Calchaqui 
  in 
  

   weapons 
  (Marquez 
  Miranda, 
  1942-43) 
  . 
  Black 
  decorated 
  jars 
  from 
  the 
  

   former 
  offer 
  indirect 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  frequent 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  spear 
  thrower 
  

   (fig. 
  63) 
  and 
  dart 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  bow. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  doubtful 
  indica- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  throwing 
  stick 
  or 
  so-called 
  boomerang 
  (pi. 
  142, 
  6). 
  

   As 
  among 
  the 
  Calchaqui, 
  head 
  trophies 
  were 
  used 
  to 
  frighten 
  the 
  enemy 
  

   and 
  to 
  exalt 
  one's 
  own 
  courage 
  (pi. 
  142, 
  c). 
  

  

  SOCIAL 
  AND 
  POLITICAL 
  ORGANIZATION 
  

  

  All 
  historical 
  sources 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  lacked 
  any 
  permanent 
  

   government. 
  They 
  were 
  divided 
  into 
  many 
  groups, 
  each 
  made 
  up 
  

   of 
  a 
  variable 
  number 
  of 
  tribes, 
  which 
  were 
  governed 
  by 
  caciques. 
  

   Their 
  number 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  great. 
  In 
  the 
  Calchaqui 
  Valley 
  alone, 
  

   an 
  area 
  about 
  30 
  leagues 
  long, 
  Lozano 
  (1873-75) 
  mentions 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  tribes, 
  each 
  totally 
  independent 
  of 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  chron- 
  

   ically 
  hostile 
  to 
  the 
  others. 
  This 
  regime 
  of 
  independent 
  hordes 
  was 
  

   superceded 
  by 
  a 
  general 
  alliance 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  local 
  caciques 
  under 
  Juan 
  

   Calchaqui. 
  This 
  leader 
  had 
  been 
  baptized 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards, 
  but, 
  

   when 
  the 
  latter 
  increased 
  their 
  maltreatment 
  of 
  the 
  Indians, 
  he 
  called 
  

   together 
  all 
  the 
  caciques 
  of 
  his 
  "nation," 
  and 
  rose 
  against 
  them. 
  

   Another 
  alliance 
  was 
  formed 
  under 
  Pedro 
  de 
  Bohorquez, 
  the 
  false 
  

   "Inca," 
  a 
  Spanish 
  adventurer 
  who 
  banded 
  with 
  the 
  natives 
  and 
  even 
  

   deceived 
  the 
  Governor, 
  Mercado 
  y 
  Villacorta. 
  Another 
  was 
  made 
  

   under 
  the 
  orders 
  of 
  Cacique 
  Silpitocle. 
  The 
  rebellion 
  under 
  Bohor- 
  

   quez 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  dangerous, 
  being 
  led 
  by 
  a 
  White 
  man. 
  Bohorquez 
  

   managed 
  to 
  call 
  to 
  arms 
  117 
  caciques, 
  though 
  two 
  caciques 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pular 
  and 
  all 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Paccioca 
  were 
  absent. 
  Thus, 
  the 
  threat 
  

   of 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  served 
  to 
  unify 
  the 
  natives, 
  provoking 
  their 
  united 
  

   efforts 
  against 
  the 
  Europeans. 
  

  

  The 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  cacique 
  was 
  absolute. 
  When 
  he 
  surrendered 
  

   or 
  made 
  peace, 
  he 
  carried 
  with 
  him 
  all 
  his 
  tribe. 
  If 
  he 
  were 
  taken 
  

   prisoner 
  and 
  released, 
  the 
  gratitude 
  of 
  his 
  people 
  was 
  enormous. 
  His 
  

   prestige 
  rested 
  on 
  his 
  personal 
  conduct. 
  Like 
  all 
  warlike 
  people, 
  the 
  

   Diaguita 
  esteemed 
  gallantry. 
  Lozano 
  (1873-75) 
  tells 
  us 
  of 
  a 
  cacique 
  

   who 
  was 
  abandoned 
  by 
  his 
  men 
  because 
  of 
  cowardice, 
  and 
  who 
  threw 
  

   himself 
  from 
  a 
  cliff, 
  preferring 
  death 
  to 
  permanent 
  dishonor. 
  The 
  

   authority 
  of 
  the 
  cacique 
  increased 
  during 
  a 
  war, 
  when 
  his 
  power 
  was 
  

   absolute. 
  According 
  to 
  Barzana 
  (1885), 
  the 
  caciques 
  obtained 
  power 
  

   through 
  inheritance 
  and 
  "sons 
  succeeded 
  their 
  fathers 
  and 
  the 
  brothers 
  

  

  