Chemical characterization of archaeological ceramics from Cotahuasi by neutron activation analysis

The concentrations of As, Ba, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sm, Th, Yb, in 121 archaeological pottery fragments found in Cotahuasi Valley, have been determined by k0 - based INAA. The results have been compared against the chemical composition of the archaeological pottery from Tiwanaku, Wari - Ayacucho and Wari - Cusco. It had been found that these groups are well separated in the compositional space. Multivariate statistical analysis indicates that the Wari style pottery found in Cotahuasi had been made locally, while a fraction of the Inca style pottery could be imported from Cusco. (orig.)