The Study of Rock Art Engravings Through Lithic Technologies: The Villavil 2 Site (Hualfin Valley, Catamarca, Argentina)

Abstract

The rock art research related to Late Regional Developments and the Inca Period in Northwest Argentina (NWA) has commonly focused on iconographic, temporal, or significance studies, and little is related to the production context and stone tools used in this process. The following paper contributes to the study of engraving techniques in the northern area of the Hualfín Valley (De Catamarca Province, Argentina), based on the analysis of the operating chains, including the associated lithic materials and their functional determination. Previous analysis identified most of the motifs as figurative zoomorphs, which are related to the Inca Period and have some association with Belén/Santamariana iconography. These images were mainly created by removing part of the rock surface by pounding, and, to a lesser extent, incisions and scraping techniques are also recorded in the production of these petroglyphs. A functional analysis of the associated lithic materials confirms the kinematics employed and their relation in the production process. The analysis carried out also identifies that the artifacts used in this process would have expeditious designs and relatively abrupt working angles.