First archaeometric distinction between turquoise sources in pre-hispanic contexts of the South-Central Andes: Mina Las Turquesas (Chile) and Cueva Inca Viejo (Argentina)

Abstract

This paper presents the initial comparative findings of archaeometric analyses conducted for turquoise provenance determination involving samples from two distinct mining sources located in Chile and Argentina. It summarizes the outcomes of initial, collaborative, and interdisciplinary binational research combining the fields of Archaeology and Chemistry. The primary aim was to discern potential disparities between turquoise specimens originating from the Atacama Desert, in Chile, and the Puna of Salta region in Argentina, which could indicate variations between the South Andean mineral sources and the origin of artifactual evidence made of turquoise. The samples analyzed included mineral fragments pertaining to the prehistoric mining site Mina Las Turquesas in El Salvador (Atacama Region, Chile), a sample corresponding to one bead from a funerary good from San Pedro de Atacama (Antofagasta Region, Chile), and samples recovered from the prehistoric mine of Cueva Inca Viejo (Puna of Salta, Northwestern Argentina). For this purpose, a combination of analytical techniques including Raman Spectrometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Triple Quadruple (ICP-MS-TQe) were employed. The results reveal variations in the composition of turquoise deposits from pre-Hispanic mines recorded in Chile and Argentina. The application of lead isotope method using ICP-MS-TQe complemented with other techniques offers promising data to further pursue this initial archaeometric research on turquoise circulation in the South Central Andes.