﻿THE 
  CULTURE 
  OF 
  LA 
  CANDELARIA 
  

  

  By 
  Gokdon 
  R. 
  WlLLEY 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION 
  AND 
  CULTURAL 
  POSITION 
  

  

  From 
  present 
  evidence, 
  the 
  archeological 
  culture 
  known 
  as 
  La 
  

   Candelaria 
  centers 
  in 
  the 
  southeastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Argentine 
  Prov- 
  

   ince 
  of 
  Salta, 
  in 
  the 
  department 
  of 
  La 
  Candelaria, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  name 
  

   is 
  derived 
  (map 
  1, 
  No. 
  12). 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  type 
  remains, 
  chiefly 
  

   burial 
  urns, 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  plains 
  and 
  rolling 
  hill 
  country 
  

   all 
  along 
  the 
  eastern 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Andes 
  from 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Tucuman 
  in 
  

   the 
  south 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Jujuy 
  in 
  the 
  north. 
  The 
  term 
  "La 
  

   Candelaria" 
  was 
  first 
  given 
  to 
  this 
  particular 
  archeological 
  complex 
  

   by 
  Metraux 
  (1930 
  b) 
  when 
  serious 
  excavations 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  

   region 
  by 
  Schreiter 
  and 
  Metraux. 
  Schreiter's 
  work 
  (1934) 
  is 
  of 
  im- 
  

   portance, 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  its 
  local 
  value, 
  but 
  also 
  because 
  it 
  related 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  data 
  from 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Salta 
  and 
  southern 
  Jujuy 
  to 
  the 
  newly 
  

   denned 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  cultural 
  nucleus. 
  These 
  earlier 
  data 
  include 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  finds 
  at 
  Pampa 
  Grande 
  (Salta), 
  the 
  westernmost 
  site 
  at 
  

   which 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  culture 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  strength 
  (Ambrosetti, 
  

   1906); 
  the 
  excavations 
  near 
  Rosario 
  de 
  la 
  Frontera 
  (Salta) 
  (Torres, 
  

   1919); 
  and 
  Boman's 
  (1908) 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  Valle 
  de 
  Lerma 
  near 
  the 
  city 
  

   of 
  Salta 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  San 
  Francisco 
  in 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Jujuy. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  region 
  lies 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  territory 
  

   of 
  the 
  Andes. 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  little 
  overlapping 
  between 
  these 
  

   two 
  cultural 
  zones, 
  although 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  Pampa 
  Grande 
  has 
  two 
  levels: 
  

   the 
  earlier 
  contains 
  remains 
  of 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  type 
  while 
  the 
  later 
  is 
  

   Diaguita. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  type 
  sites 
  within 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  

   zone, 
  proper, 
  but 
  isolated 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  

   as 
  far 
  west 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  Diaguita 
  center 
  of 
  Quilmes 
  in 
  northwestern 
  

   Tucuman 
  (Ryden, 
  1936). 
  North 
  of 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  territory 
  is 
  the 
  

   archeological 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  Quebrada 
  de 
  Humahuaca. 
  To 
  the 
  south- 
  

   east 
  is 
  the 
  distinctive 
  archeological 
  zone 
  of 
  Santiago 
  del 
  Estero. 
  To 
  

   the 
  east, 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  type 
  remains 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  

   but 
  presumably 
  shades 
  off 
  into 
  the 
  Gran 
  Chaco. 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  who 
  left 
  behind 
  the 
  La 
  Candelaria 
  type 
  of 
  remains 
  were 
  

   agriculturists 
  who 
  lived 
  in 
  a 
  region 
  where 
  irrigation 
  was 
  not 
  essen- 
  

   sential. 
  The 
  dwelling 
  sites 
  are 
  very 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  

   La 
  Candelaria, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  indicate 
  fairly 
  large 
  villages. 
  No 
  

  

  661 
  

  

  