Pastos and Quillacingas: two ethnic groups in search of archaeological identity

Abstract

Over the past 20 years the archaeological area of Nariño (Southern Colombia) has been characterized by three main ceramic complexes known as Capulí, Piartal and Tuza. These have been assigned to specific ethnic groups, some of which were still living at the time of the Spanish Conquest in the 16th Century.

This paper discusses the problems that arise when a group specific identity is established for a particular kind of pottery on the basis of ethnohistorical data. This data may be pertinent for aboriginal ethnic spatial distribution after the second or third decade of the 16th Century A.D, but may be more fragile when trying to extend it as an explanation of Prehispanic territories.

Recent archaeological excavations conducted by the author are presented as evidence that such an association must be reviewed since an important amount of pieces of the Piartal and Tuza complexes have been found to be overlapping in these territories, suggesting that another kind of explanation must be in order.