Technology, Use and Reuse of Gold during the Middle Period: The Case of Casa Parroquial, Atacama Desert, Chile

A groundbreaking analysis of gold and silver artefacts from the Middle Period cemetery at Casa Parroquial, San Pedro de Atacama, reveals complex life-histories shaped by importation, reuse, and modification. Chemical analyses using pXRF, SEM-EDS, PIXE, and digital microscopy detected variable compositions (2.4–73.1% Ag and 0.2–3.4% Cu), indicating the use of both native gold and artificial alloys. The study identifies two distinct working styles and suggests that most artefacts were imported from Tiwanaku or Cochabamba and northwest Argentina, rather than locally produced. Notably, some objects were mechanically modified—through punching, cutting, and folding—by non-metallurgists in multi-craft contexts, highlighting dynamic cultural adaptation.

Plaza, M. T., & Martinón-Torres, M. (2021). Technology, Use and Reuse of Gold during the Middle Period: The Case of Casa Parroquial, Atacama Desert, Chile. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 31(4), 613–637. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774321000123