New Chronometric Dates for the Puquios of Nasca, Peru

Abstract

Numeric age assessments of organic material encapsulated by rock varnish present on stone lintels of two “puquios” in the Nasca region of the south coast of Peru indicate a Precolumbian age. Accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon analyses at the Isotrace Laboratory revealed ages of cal A. D. 560(620)650 and cal A. D. 600(640)660 (1 sigma). These calibrated measurements are considered to be appropriate in the context of the archaeological settlement pattern data for the region. As well, the written documents of the colonial period neither confirm nor deny the presence of the puquios. Three assumptions are inherent in the acceptance of these dates: (1) AMS 14C dating and its application to rock varnish yield reliable results, (2) sample contamination can be recognized, and (3) determination of the age of the puquios rests upon testable available information; ex silentio arguments about the presence or absence of the puquios in the Nasca region before the Spanish conquest are inadequate for the resolution of the question.

The geographic origins of Nasca trophy heads using strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope data

“…Most of the water used for drinking and irrigation is obtained from pukios, which are complex horizontal wells that access subsurface water, generally derived from rainfall in the highlands (Clarkson and Dorn, 1995;Schreiber and Lancho Rojas, 2003;Silverman, 2002). While the Nazca Drainage also contains rivers that bring precipitation from the adjacent highlands down to the Pacific Ocean, the rivers go underground or dry up in parts and river output is very low most years (Schreiber and Lancho Rojas, 2003).…”

Management Techniques of Ancestral Hydraulic Systems, Nasca, Peru; Marrakech, Morocco; and Tabriz, Iran in Different Civilizations with Arid Climates

“…The archaeological studies show that puquios were absent during the Early Nasca period (Early Intermediate Period) and were used during the Inca conquest in the 16th century [11]. Furthermore, radiocarbon analyses by accelerator mass spectrometry reveal that puquio structures have existed since cal AD 560-650 and cal AD 600-660 [35].…”

Sustainability of Underground Hydro-Technologies: From Ancient to Modern Times and toward the Future

“…Among them, the most famous is the Cantalloc (Cantayo) puquio, located 4 km east of the town of Nazca, dated to ca 2nd-7th century AD, and made of a gallery 350 m long provided of 22 spiraling 8-10 m deep shafts and then ending as an open canal surrounded by fields ( Figure 18). Similar structures are built along the Taruga and Las Trancas seasonal streams, located respectively 10 and 17 km south of Nazca [67][68][69]. The building material, besides a few Huarango trunks for roofing, is mainly stone: small-and medium-sized alluvial rounded boulders from the river bed.…”