Conch Calls into the Anthropocene: Pututus as Instruments of Human-Environmental Relations at Monumental Chavin

Research at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chavín de Huántar, Peru, reveals that pututus—conch shell musical horns—served as pivotal instruments in human-environmental relations during the late Andean Formative period (first millennium BCE). Analysis of 21 intact Chavín pututus, alongside archaeological and acoustic evidence, demonstrates their multifaceted use in ritual communication, environmental negotiation, and cosmological expression. These instruments, depicted in stone and ceramics, functioned as technologies of air transformation and wind interaction, reflecting strategic human interventions in ordering the cosmos. The study employs a cross-disciplinary approach, integrating archaeology, acoustics, and environmental framing to highlight Chavín's role in foreshadowing Anthropocene discourse, emphasizing ritual strategies for environmental control and agency.

Kolar, M. A. (2020). Conch Calls into the Anthropocene: Pututus as Instruments of Human-Environmental Relations at Monumental Chavín. Yale Journal of Music & Religion, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.17132/2377-231x.1151