A stone pendant found in Las Garzas site (Salta, Argentina): An approach to the ways of doing

Abstract

In this contribution we present the results of a first study focused on the know-how of manufacturing techniques involved in the making of a stone pendant, recovered at Las Garzas site, in the Lerma Valley (Salta province). On a river pebble of metamorphosed phyllite from the Puncoviscana Formation, a zoomorphic, quadruped figure was carved. The representation follows the size and thickness of the blank. Such singularity in this small piece invited us to inquire about the possible procedures, operations and technical gestures involved in its manufacture. The analysis and registration of manufacturing traces, as well as those of use, was systematically carried out at the macroscopic and microscopic level. This study was complemented with elaboration of a replica in order to generate experimental analogies on some stage of the manufacturing sequence. This approach achieved through the manufacturing experimentation was important to confirm the traces of elaboration identified during the macroscopic and microscopic inspection of the original piece. Advances on the registration of the traces left by the “way of doing” of these particular objects, as well as knowing the possible ways of use, are indicators of the idiosyncrasies of the Lerma Valley sociocultural groups and allowed us to complement the information corpus available for this area.