﻿Vol.2] 
  COMECHINGON 
  AND 
  NEIGHBORS 
  — 
  APARICIO 
  677 
  

  

  rated 
  by 
  the 
  flooding 
  of 
  rivers." 
  This 
  statement 
  is 
  probably 
  exagger- 
  

   ated 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  "fields" 
  of 
  maize, 
  beans, 
  and 
  quinoa 
  were 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  only 
  small 
  irrigable 
  terraces. 
  In 
  Cordoba, 
  there 
  probably 
  never 
  

   could 
  have 
  been 
  "tierra 
  banada," 
  or 
  land 
  which 
  was 
  flooded 
  by 
  the 
  

   rising 
  of 
  great 
  rivers, 
  as 
  in 
  Santiago. 
  The 
  account 
  of 
  Sotelo 
  Narva 
  ez 
  

   confirms 
  this 
  lack 
  of 
  true 
  flood-plain 
  farming. 
  

  

  Archeology 
  also 
  confirms 
  this 
  conclusion. 
  No 
  cultivated 
  terraces 
  

   or 
  tablelands 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  region 
  nor 
  irrigation 
  works 
  of 
  any 
  extent 
  

   have 
  been 
  found, 
  but 
  indubitable 
  proof 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  exist 
  is 
  furnished 
  

   by 
  finds 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  implements 
  for 
  crushing 
  and 
  grinding 
  grain. 
  

   The 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  subterranean 
  earthenware 
  granary 
  discloses 
  the 
  

   method 
  of 
  storing 
  and 
  preserving 
  grain. 
  

  

  The 
  Comechingdn 
  were 
  also 
  herdsmen. 
  When 
  Cieza 
  saw 
  them 
  they 
  

   already 
  "had 
  large 
  flocks 
  of 
  llamas 
  and 
  many 
  fowls," 
  a 
  fact 
  confirmed 
  

   by 
  other 
  chroniclers. 
  Native 
  pictographs 
  also 
  represent 
  these 
  animals. 
  

  

  The 
  algarroba 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  wild 
  vegetable 
  food. 
  Cha- 
  

   nar, 
  mistol, 
  and 
  other 
  plants 
  also 
  supplemented 
  agricultural 
  products. 
  

   Hunting 
  guanacos, 
  rabbits, 
  deer, 
  and 
  other 
  game 
  was 
  probably 
  

   important, 
  but 
  fishing 
  was 
  not. 
  

  

  HOUSES 
  AND 
  CAMP 
  SITES 
  

  

  No 
  buildings 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  irrefutably 
  identified 
  

   as 
  pre-Hispanic 
  or, 
  at 
  least, 
  protohistoric. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  vestiges 
  of 
  

   dry-masonry 
  construction 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  region, 
  but, 
  though 
  these 
  ruins 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  old, 
  native 
  origin 
  cannot 
  be 
  proved. 
  Possibly, 
  the 
  lack 
  

   of 
  industrial 
  remains 
  in 
  these 
  ruins, 
  which 
  could 
  serve 
  to 
  date 
  them, 
  is 
  

   simply 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  archeological 
  poverty 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  

  

  Present 
  inhabitants 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  

   "taperas 
  de 
  indios" 
  (Indian 
  dwellings) 
  from 
  the 
  more 
  recent 
  buildings 
  

   which 
  are 
  scattered 
  throughout 
  the 
  Sierra. 
  Their 
  diagnostic 
  feature 
  

   is 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  foundation 
  (cimiento). 
  They 
  call 
  "cimiento 
  de 
  indio" 
  

   a 
  foundation 
  built 
  with 
  perpendicular 
  slabs 
  forming 
  two 
  parallel 
  rows 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  empty 
  space 
  between 
  was 
  filled 
  with 
  smaller 
  material. 
  

   According 
  to 
  the 
  modern 
  peoples, 
  the 
  Creoles 
  never 
  built 
  in 
  that 
  style. 
  

   Diggings 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  "taperas" 
  have, 
  however, 
  given 
  only 
  

   poor 
  or 
  negative 
  results. 
  

  

  In 
  both 
  the 
  Sierra 
  de 
  C6rdoba 
  and 
  the 
  Sierra 
  de 
  San 
  Luis, 
  modified 
  

   natural 
  shelters 
  abound. 
  These 
  shelters, 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  as 
  "stone 
  

   houses," 
  are 
  still 
  used, 
  with 
  some 
  modification, 
  as 
  temporary 
  dwell- 
  

   ings 
  or 
  as 
  annexes 
  to 
  houses. 
  Again, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  whether 
  the 
  

   additional 
  features 
  and 
  modifications 
  are 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  aboriginal 
  

   inhabitants 
  or 
  of 
  recent 
  dwellers. 
  Potsherds, 
  stone 
  implements, 
  and 
  

   chips 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  these 
  dwellings, 
  but 
  cannot 
  be 
  defi- 
  

   nitely 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  structural 
  modifications 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  shelters. 
  

  

  