114 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 146 
which replaces the Aguada type of settlement. The custom of burying 
children in decorated urns again becomes widely distributed. Metal- 
lurgy in bronze was not only continued, but elaborated, both in tech- 
nique and in quantity and variety of objects. Pottery is characterized 
by new traditions, such as the extensive use of geometric motifs in the 
decorated wares of Santamaria and Santiagueria, paralleled in the geo- 
metric decoration of Coquimbo. Designs in black on red appear in 
many of the pottery types of Quebrada and the Valliserrana area, and 
are part of the black-on-red horizon that extends from the Puna to 
northern Chile. 
These influences from the east do not appear to have been very 
strongly felt in Chile. Although urn burial of children reached the 
western Puna, this area along with the northern Chilean coast appears 
to have been more closely linked culturally with the altiplano than 
with the south. A certain number of products of northwestern Argen- 
tine origin reached the Puna and the coast as a result of trade. In re- 
turn, northwestern Argentina appears to have been influenced by 
architectural developments in the aforementioned regions, and by pot- 
tery decoration in the Valles Transversales. 
In spite of the short time that the period lasted, a great deal of re- 
gional variation was produced, although indications of mutual influ- 
ence can be noted. A number of traits were diffused over the entire 
area, among them bronze gauntlets; discoidal or rectangular pec- 
torals, plain or with relief figures ; bells of wood or cast metal ; and 
urns for the burial of children. 
Communal pit houses in use at the beginning of the Late Period 
were shortly replaced by a small stone-walled structure with rec- 
tangular floor plan. There is a diffusion of the corbelled vault, a trait 
unknown in the Valles Transversales but typical of southern Peru. To- 
ward the end of the period, there is an expansion of urban or semi- 
urban centers, composed of irregularly agglutinated stone-walled 
rooms. Although absolute dates are not available, these centers appear 
to be contemporary with those of the north coast of Peru and pre- 
Inca in time. 
The bow and arrow are present in all cultures of this period. In 
Quebrada, warfare is implied by the large quantity of trophy skulls 
that have been found. Toward the end of the period, fortresses occur 
everywhere except in the region of the V alles Transversales. 
Metallurgy is more advanced, and artifacts include large bells, pec- 
torals, tweezers, and socketed axes. By contrast, stone working in- 
cluding sculpture is notably diminished, especially in the Valliserrana 
area. Wooden objects are common in the Puna. 
