Tastil
Encyclopedia
Tastil is a Pre-Inca archaeological site
near Santa Rosa de Tastil
, Salta Province
, Argentina
.
people, a pre-Inca culture, Tastil thrived during the 15th century, and grew to perhaps 400 households and over 2,000 inhabitants prior to a siege by the invading troops of the Inca Empire
. Subsisting on quinoa
, maize
, and llama
husbandry, the Tastileños built their community out of sandstone
, and without the use of mortar. The labyrinthine layout of Tastil included catacombs and plazas, and the central square was built around a wanka (a sacred stone).
The ruins were rediscovered by Swedish
anthropologist Eric Boman
in 1903, and were cataloged and restored in 1967 by a team from the University of La Plata led by Dr. Mario Cicliano. Tastil was declared a National Historic Monument in 1997. The Moisés Serpa Regional Museum of Tastil, located in Santa Rosa de Tastil, was inaugurated the same year, and displays artifacts found at the site and surroundings, including a mummy
dating from the 13th century.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
near Santa Rosa de Tastil
Santa Rosa de Tastil
Santa Rosa de Tastil is a rural municipality in Salta Province in northwestern Argentina. It is located in the Lerma Valley, near the ruins of the ancient indigenous city of Tastil, and is populated only by eleven persons, three of which are employees of the Moisés Serpa Regional Museum of Tastil...
, Salta Province
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
Overview
Located around 2.5 km (1.5 mi) northwest of the settlement are the Ruins of Tastil. Built by the AtacameñoAtacameño
The Atacameños are a Native American people who inhabited the Andean portion of the Atacama Desert, mainly in what is today Chile's Antofagasta Region. Their language is known as Kunza....
people, a pre-Inca culture, Tastil thrived during the 15th century, and grew to perhaps 400 households and over 2,000 inhabitants prior to a siege by the invading troops of the Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
. Subsisting on quinoa
Quinoa
Quinoa , a species of goosefoot , is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, and llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
husbandry, the Tastileños built their community out of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, and without the use of mortar. The labyrinthine layout of Tastil included catacombs and plazas, and the central square was built around a wanka (a sacred stone).
The ruins were rediscovered by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
anthropologist Eric Boman
Eric Boman
Eric Boman was a Swedish Argentine archaeologist.-Life and work:Boman was born in Falun, Sweden, in 1867. He relocated to Argentina in 1889, and completed his secondary schooling in Buenos Aires and Catamarca...
in 1903, and were cataloged and restored in 1967 by a team from the University of La Plata led by Dr. Mario Cicliano. Tastil was declared a National Historic Monument in 1997. The Moisés Serpa Regional Museum of Tastil, located in Santa Rosa de Tastil, was inaugurated the same year, and displays artifacts found at the site and surroundings, including a mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
dating from the 13th century.