Neutron activation analysis of Inka pottery from fifteen archaeological sites in the Lurín valley, central coast of Peru: insights into production and exchange

Abstract

NAA is applied to a sample of 360 archaeological ceramics mostly dating to the Late Horizon (1470–1532 CE) from the major Inka center of Pachacamac and fourteen additional sites in the Lurín valley of Peru’s central coast. Results indicate Inka pottery was produced by multiple communities of practice working in distinct locations and the importation of small amounts of pottery from the Inka capital Cuzco, and networks of distribution for this pottery and sociopolitical boundaries in the region are discussed based on results.