Argentina

Chris Corrigan

4/4/2017

Argentina Project

The pre-classical age (3500-800 B.C.E.)

Images

Some of the earliest known arts in western south America have been found near the Andes which touch Argentina culture.  Near the Andenes Valdivia peoples produced small stone and ceramic figurines. Slabs of clay were able to be compressed and molded together creating different pieces of art.

These clay pieces of art were predominantly female. The figures expressed females through the various parts of their lives. Yet not all of these figurines were female. Some of them were male! This got a little more interesting as two bodies would be combined into one. Such as the figure pictured above. This figurine shows two females heads on one female body. This is a mystery of why the artist did this. Yet, it is understood that this is “commonly interpreted as fertility figures and/or guardian spirits.”(Mid Article)

Campbell, Thomas P. "Double-Headed Figure." The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The MET, 2008. Web. 02 Mar. 2017. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1980.34.1/>.

This sculpture was found in Atlantis, which is a lost kingdom of the Andes. This sculpture resembles a god who rose from the sea in ancient Sumerian land.

The sculpture represents the importance of fish during this ancient time. To survive the people in Argentina area would have to hunt or gather! Those who were by the oceans would fish. Those who were inland would hunt. This artifact deals with fishing meaning that it came from the coast. In this case, the coast off the Andes.

Jim Allen. Bolivia and the Sumerian connection. n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. <http://www.atlantisbolivia.org/boliviaandthesumerianconnection.htm>.

This is a Stirrup-spout Bottle from the 12th century. It was found near Argentina. This bottle was part of Cupisnique culture! Cupisnique people settled in what we know as Peru today.

The bottle is made to a “visual reminiscent of a stirrup on a horse's saddle.”(Mid Article) These bottles were partially liked in Peru. For thousands of years, these bottles were handcrafted in different shapes and sizes. Yet this bottle above is Cupisnique. The cupisnique style was distinguished by size, depiction, and surface treatment. Cupisnique style bottles are always “Strong and squat in shape.”(Bottom article)

Thomas Campbell. Stirrup-spout bottle | work of art | Heilbrunn Timeline of art history | the metropolitan museum of art. The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, 2000. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1981.247/>.

Sources

People being able to settle caused “Growing populations” that “keep living in villages.”(Norther Andes, first paragraph). This was made possible as people were able to grow and harvest crops. This was a great advancement as people no longer had to be hunters and gathers. People were able to settle, living in one place.

Settlement was a great thing as people were able to be more skilled in different jobs. People were now specialed. This led to huge advancements, as people only had one important task to deal with as opposed to many. The people did what they excelled at. “Large quantities of ceramic as well as textile production was widespread”(Norther Andes, first paragraph) as result of this specialization.

One of the biggest changes due to settlement was forms of government. “Class distinctions are between chiefs and their families, chiefs of lower rank, and commoners”. (Norther Andes, first paragraph) There was more than just different levels of class. There were different jobs that went into each of classes.  “Artisans, religious specialists, merchants, and warriors are from a different

Ani Gomez. Weebly, 2004, southamerica-arthistory.weebly.com/

    1400ndash1600-ad.html. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

The early Andean culture never reached those technological advancements like those did in ancient Mesopotamia. The ancient Andes people and their descendants the Incus, didnt uses wheels or writing until 3000 years after the ancient Mesopotamians.

Yet it wasn't all bad for the ancient Andes people. Archaeologist founds that they had many advancements, “their ability to construct planned communities and grand structures, organize labor, create art and devise a political system”(Steven, Williams).

The planned communities were formed shortly after agriculture took place. This allowed for people to settle, creating organized labor. Also it promoted creativity as people were able to focus on more than just getting by. It is understood that the ancient Andes “took a developmental path different from that of the Old World and even from that of Central America” (Stevens, William K) This is because “the Andean civilization appears to have been more diffuse and decentralized because the isolated valleys forced it to develop that way” (Stevens, William K).

Stevens, William K. "Andean Culture found to be as Old as the Greaty Pyramids." New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) ed.Oct 03 1989. ProQuest. Web. 26 Mar. 2017 .

Some form of standardized weights were found in the ancient Andes. Anthropologist Erland Nordenskiold proposed this idea in the early 1900s. Nordenskiold hypothesised that “They were measured in multiples of a basic unit that he called "H," for huarcu”(Sullivan, Walter) The word huarcu meant weight in two Andean languages.

He found nine identical pebbles in a small bag, supporting his idea. Yet his findings were not strongly supported until the findings of the beam balances. The beam balances were found throughout the Andes. Yet these balances still didn't seem standardized, they were more local. “it was assumed they were used locally for comparative measurements, rather than in terms of a widely used standard” (Sullivan, Walter)

When the spaniards arrived universal standardized measurements came into play. The “discovery of two copper ingots”(Sullivan, Walter) supported the standardized system. Yet there are not many hard facts supporting the system. The best thing that was found was “a value of 3.80 grams (0.134 ounces) for H” (Sullivan, Walter). There is still a decent amount of uncertainly about the system but, what was found “offers new insights into control of commodities, organization of production and circulation of goods in the pre-Hispanic Andes."(Stephen M. Epstein, an anthropologist at the University of Pennsylvania)

Sullivan, Walter. "Ancient Weights in the Andes." New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) ed.Nov 22 1994. ProQuest. Web. 26 Mar.2017.4

The classical age (800 B.C.E.-500 C.E.)

Images

It’s hard to find any information on Argentina in the pre-Columbian age. Before Europeans came to Argentina it was very thinly populated. In the Northwest part of the country, people grew crops such as potatoes and squash. They sometimes lived in walled towns and they were able to melt metal and made items out of pottery. However, most of these indigenous people lived by hunting animals and gathering plants. Many continued their hunter-gatherer lifestyle until late into 19th century.

The above figure is interpreted to be a person praying to a deity most probably for good hunting or crops

"Finest selection of Art, Antiques and Historical Objects." CuratorsEye, 2007,

    www.curatorseye.com/C=Buy-Ancient-Art&ID=101. Accessed 9 Apr. 2017. Had a

    hard time finding exact link, but this is very close

The earliest traces of human inhabitation in this area of South America dates back to 11,00 BC, although the indigenous cultures of Argentina were less-developed than those of other neighboring countries like Peru. In the mountain areas they planted but further south, the indigenous people remained mostly hunter-gatherers. Some of the most notable cultures include the Aguada, in the North West Guarani in the northeast who farmed yuca and sweet potato and the Mapuche in the central areas who unified many of the nomadic cultures.

All along their art remained simple but well done. The theme as always is a deity, or god, being protected by the chameleons.

"The Artifacts Of The America's." Pinterest, 2008, www.pinterest.com/DeskNet/

    the-artifacts-of-the-americas/. Accessed 2 May 2017.

Here again is the same theme as the one before. It is incredible that the chameleons and the God in the middle are nearly identical to the other one. This piece of art represents a reference the growing of food.

"The Artifacts Of The America's." Pinterest, 2008, www.pinterest.com/DeskNet/

    the-artifacts-of-the-americas/. Accessed 8 April 2017.

Sources

Farms in the sky, a new form of agriculture to Argentina. The Andes mountains were greatly populated. Yet, it was hard for people to survive as crop was not easily accessible. That is until farms in the sky were created. "These farmers engage in some of the highest-altitude agriculture in the world"(O'Brien, page 1).  

The landscape was considered to be Alpine, with lots of rocks in the soil. The soil was very nutritious with "low-growing grass dotted with delicate wildflowers and moss." (O'Brien, page 2).  Yet, what was interesting was that nothing grew taller than our ankles.

Not everything grew great in the sky farms but potatoes grew extraordinary well. Along with the potatoes, fava beans grew very well. There was more than just crops in these farms in the sky. They had livestock, such as llama, alpaca, and sheep! The farms were a great advancement. "they say that in time of the Inca Empire no one went hungry "(O'Brien, page 2).

O'Brein, Caitlin. "Farms in the Sky." EarthIsland, Earthland journal, pp. 22-26.

Machu Picchu a beautiful Peruvian city that sits high in the sky. Machu Picchu stands 2430 M above sea level. That is about 1.5 miles above sea level! As you can imagine this city of Machu Picchu sits in the Andean mountains. Just like the farms in the sky, Machu Picchu was very advanced for its time. The way the city was laid out was nothing short of extraordinary. It was truly the “most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments” (Silvan Rehfeld, first paragraph).

Machu Picchu is located between the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin. It was landscaped to be different from anything else in the world. The land was very artistic but also agriculturally fertile. Machu Picchu is the “most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization” (Silvan Rehfeld, second paragraph). More than just the structure of the city was the culture and natural values. “The approximately 200 structures making up this outstanding religious, ceremonial, astronomical and agricultural centre are set on a steep ridge, crisscrossed by stone terraces” (Silvan Rehfeld, fourth paragraph).

The city was well laid out as there are two part, a lower and a higher level. The low level is meant for agriculture as the high level is for residencies. Between these levels was a well put together road-trail system. They even had irrigation canals, which is still useful today!

I know i'm not supposed to use a picture for this portion but Machu Picchu is too cool not to!

Rehfeld, Silvan. "Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu." Unesco, World Heritage

    Convention, Apr. 2007, whc.unesco.org/en/list/274. Accessed 1 May 2017.

Now this final classical secondary source does not just focus on Argentina. It focuses on all of the world and how it changes during this time. This gives us a good idea of how civilization as a whole was moving forward.

As time moves on things advance. New technologies are put in place to solve problems and make survival easy. Through this project we have seen how people “began to produce food, adopt new forms of social organization, and interact more intensively with one another over longer distances than in any earlier times”(Stephen K. Sanderson, page one). Which is huge as communication was scarce and food production was basically non existent in the pre classical age.

World population continued to increase in the first millennium BCE. More cities began to appear, in a more improved way. “States, which first emerged in Big Era Three as a way of organizing large populations under a single governing authority, now appeared in new forms that were bigger, more complex, and more efficient” (Stephen K. Sanderson, page one). Yet the most important thing that advanced mankind as a whole was Interregional systems of communication. This enabled technologies, goods, and ideas to move thousands of miles. Which interlocked “networks of roads, trails, and sea lanes connected almost all parts of Afro Eurasia and, in the Americas, extensive areas of Mesoamerica and the Andean mountain spine of South America”(Stephen K. Sanderson, page two).

These connections created a new belief systems. A system that “invited peoples of differing languages and cultural traditions to share common standards of morality and trust”(Stephen K. Sanderson, page two). This was huge as to seems to be the start of common standards of morality. Such as the accepted norms we live by today.

-One last thing I found interesting from this source. Look at the change in population over this time period. Huge increase!

Sanderson, Stephen K. "Expanding Networks of Exchange and Encounter 1200 BCE -

    500 CE." History For Us All, UCLA in cooperation with San Diego State

    University, worldhistoryforusall.sdsu.edu/eras/era4.php. Accessed 4 May

    2017.

The post-classical age (500 C.E.-1300 C.E.)

Images

This is a Wari Figural Vessel playing the Pan Pipe. Wari culture survived from 600- 1000 AD in the highland of Peru touching the top most, north/west, corner of Argentina. They had no written language but we have numerous clay/ceramic pieces that help us understand their society.

This man is holding a “knopped club”(Jose Antonio Lavalle, page one) while wearing a tie-dye tunic. This shows a circle pattern in stepped segments. Yet it also shows large earplugs along with a circle patterned headband. If you look closely at the headband you will see white-tipped blades. This should paint a good picture of what the culture looked like. What is also interesting is that Pan Pipes are still popular in the region where this piece was found.

Lavalle, Jose Antonio. "Wari Figural Vessel with Pan Pipe ca. A.D. 600-1000."

    Sotheby's, 16 May 2014, www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/

    african-oceanic-n09146/lot.206.html. Accessed 1 May 2017. The author listed

    is the original author/historian from 1880s.

Again coming from the highlands in Peru near the corner of Argentina this is actually a Vessel in the shape of a human head. Much of the art from this time is based on the human form in one way or the other.

This piece of art dates from 500 CE to 400 CE. It is made from terracotta and comes from Peruvian culture. This piece was found in Peru and is close to human size as it measures 85 x 125 x 101 mm.

"Explore Ecuador Carchi, America Ecuador." Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts,

    Pinterest, Apr. 2011, www.pinterest.com/pin/374150681513347659/. Accessed 2

    May 2017.

This is a ceramic Alpaca or Llama, which came from the Wari Empire. The Wari empire was the first society in the sierra region of the Andes. This was a very complexed empire that established in the “Ayacucho region of Peru during the Middle Horizon (between about AD 550 and 900)” (K. Kris Hirst, page one).

The Wari people grew corn and potatoes. Yet, they mostly were good at producing ceramic items such as the one above. “They were connected into a trading network across the Andes, in which figurines, ceramic vessels, textiles and metal objects were made in Wari and traded out” (K. Kris Hirst, page one). The government was also very structured to the Wari people. The “Wari state including the ruling elite, minor officials and artisans”(K. Kris Hirst, page two). This is where that piece of ceramic came from. You can see the culture in it, as the Alpaca/Llama was a necessity to the Wari People.

Hirst, K. Kris. "Wari Empire Andean Pre-Columbian Society." ThoughtCo, 25 Dec.

    2013, www.thoughtco.com/wari-empire-precolumbian-society-173239. Accessed 2

    May 2017.

Sources

The Post-Classical age in South America can be broken down into three parts: the Middle Horizon, the late intermediate and the late Horizon period. During the Middle Horizon, Andean civilization was combined by two great nations: the Wari Empire in the north and the Tiwanaku Empire in the south. “This period marks the rise of the first cities in South America; thus, Andean civilization was born during the Middle Horizon.” The cultures of these empires were similar. “Like Mesoamerica, the Andean region features a base culture: the Chavin culture, which grew into and became the foundation of subsequent Andean cultures culminating in the Incas in what is called the late horizon period.

The Incas, and their predecessors, used Mnemonic aids made of an array of small cords to keep track of information. Since they had no actual written language, over time, much accurate history was lost. Although they had no written language they were by no means backwards. They build some very large cities, such as Machu Picchu and Cuzco, and carved out an extensive road system that spanned over 2000 miles and over 5 modern countries. Many of these roads are still in use today.

Some interesting facts about the Incas: they were the only Pre-columbian American culture to move from the stone tools to bronze. “As opposed to their northern rivals in time, the Aztecs, it is believed the Inca sacrificed animals and agriculture not humans” They used runners to get information between two points on the many roads they

built. Due to the high altitude that many lived at they were able to preserve meat and

others foods by “freeze drying” them in the extreme hot and cold of their environment.

The Inca and Aztec empire were formed around the same time. Incan military was very active in 1438. They took over Cuzco which was located in southwest Peru. They ended with the conquest of Ecuador in the city of Quito. The Inca “empire stretched from Ecuador to Chile” (Stearns). The population of this Incan empire was over six million. Thats a big empire for this time! This was not always the case. Three hundred years before, a small Inca group competed with other villages for the land. They won the competitions and the land became theirs. Through expansion, they used “imperial organization”(Stearns).This was key to them for staying in control. The Incas focused on “strong traditions of mutual aid for those who can't work”(Stearns).

The Inca empire became very big with time. They focused on traditions and organization. This made them a successful empire.

Sterns, Peter N. "The Andean Kingdom of Chuquito in 1567." World History.

Conclusion (3-4 paragraphs)

I learned that this certain civilization transformed greatly with time. Advancements took people from hunting and gather to settling in cities. While being in cities caused formation of government and organization. Which was only made possible with great agricultural advancements.

Argentina transformed world civilizations by pushing the limits in terms of organized living. Such as civilizations in the Andes. It was so unique to create cities within the clouds such as Machu Picchu! This was a completely new way of living compared to other parts of the world. On top of this, to grow and farm in the sky was remarkable. That great advancement enabled Andean people to live in the Sky. This was an inspiration to other cultures, as it showed with great advancements anything is possible.

As I stated previously, society changed greatly over time. Back in the pre-classical age the Andean people were hunters and gathers. Meaning that people didn't settle. They wandered like animals. Living day by day, one kill at a time. There was no growing of crop. Hunting and gathering was the only way of survival. Yet times moved on to find a much more advanced society. Such as the classical age, where agriculture resulted in cities and forms of small governments. People were brought together, and so was their culture. A important thing from this time was the Interregional systems of communication. This is the start of good communication between different cultures. Which is important as it builds a sense of respect and understanding of different people.

We can learn from this civilization that with time things advance, expand and bring people together. It seems that with every advancement, government gets bigger and people become less independent. This is evident in the west today. As technology expands people become more specialized. Look at society, we are dependent on other people! There is no more such thing as a self sufficient people or cultures as a whole. This is a trend that was spotted all the ways back in ancient Andean culture.