Puquios and Aqueducts in the Central Andes in South America

Abstract

Complex hydraulic systems are a mainstay of South America, and especially the Andean region (Denevan 2001). In fact, the Central Andes were considered a key area in the development of hydraulic society theory (sensu Wittfogel 1957; see Steward 1955; see also, Mitchell 1973; Stanish 1994; Lane 2009 for reappraisals of this theory's applicability to the Andes). As such ancient hydraulic technology in the Andes was varied, geographically diverse, and extensive. That said, the use of underground aqueducts otherwise known as filtration galleries or puquios (the local indigenous name for these structures) was only present in a few select places across the Andes.Little studied subterranean irrigation canals linked to cultivation fields have been documented from the site of Northwest Argentina (Tarragó 1977; Páez and Giovannetti 2014). Nevertheless, filtration galleries of the type most reminiscent of the Old World qanāts (Denevan 2001:161) occur along some valleys of Central and the South-central Andes of Peru and Northern Chile, which we have divided into three groups Central Andean, Nasca, and South Andean (see Figure 27.1). Apart from these large areas, there is documentary or physical evidence to support their existence in four other discreet places, namely, the Santa Valley, Huancavelica, Paucartambo, and in Potosí (Barnes and Fleming 1991:51). Like the qanāts the South American puquios tap into the underlying aquifermother source either through the means of an open trench, or a lateral tunneled gallery that connected directly with the aquifer (see Figure 27.2).In this chapter, in assessing the function, historicity, and use of puquios in the Andes we first consider their antiquity and cultural ascription, before describing the systems themselves. Finally, we reflect on their present use and their possible future.