Abstract

LOPEZ, M. Laura; CAPPARELLI, Aylen  and  NIELSEN, Axel E.. Procesamiento post-cosecha de granos de Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa, Chenopodiaceae) en el período prehispánico tardío en el norte de Lípez: Potosí, Bolivia. Darwiniana [online]. 2012, vol.50, n.2, pp.187-206. ISSN 0011-6793.

On the basis of an ethnoarchaeological study of post-harvest quinoa processing in the Lípez Altiplano (Potosí, Bolivia), some diagnostic traits of each activity and methods of processing dried grains are established. The potential of these observations to investigate the ancient practices of processing and consumption of this pseudocereal is illustrated by analyzing grains recovered from four archaeological sites near Salar de Uyuni. The quinoas examined were at different stages of processing; some showed no traces of saponin extraction, suggesting that they had been stored immediately after harvest, while others exhibited saponification traces comparable to those observed in current contexts, suggesting that they had been prepared for consumption.

Keywords : Ethnoarchaeology; Northern Lípez; Post-harvest processing; Quinoa.