Rest areas and long-distance caravans: Ethnoarchaeological notes from the southern Andes

Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to characterize Andean caravan rest areas and spell out their potential for research on the logistical organization of ancient caravans and their social context. Caravan rest areas are places where long-distance caravans stop for one or more days to rest, repair travel gear, and re-organize the cargo. It is argued that rest areas offer good opportunities for exploring how ancient caravans handled logistical and territorial issues under different historical circumstances, besides providing valuable information about herders’ society and cosmology. A general description of llama caravan routes and the activity settings associated with them is presented. Rest areas are characterized ethnoarchaeologically, emphasizing their location, use, and material configuration. Building on this information, the role of rest areas in the logistics of long-distance caravans, in the territorial negotiations associated with routes, in the interaction between herders and deities, and in the reproduction of a sense of community among pastoralists from different regions is offered.