Patrice Lecoq

L’occupation prehispanique du sud de Potosi, en Bolivie, a la lumiere de L’archeologie (XXe-XXIe siecle) : L’emergence du groupe Wisijsa au sein de la federation Qaraqara-Charka Patrice Lecoq

The southern Potosí region of Bolivia occupies a strategically important position between the high Altiplano and the fertile valleys of the eastern Andes. Historical sources identify this territory as part of the Qaraqara-Charca federation, a major political entity of the southern Andes before its incorporation into the Inca Empire. Much of the region was occupied by the Wisijsa, whose origins, cultural development and relationship with the wider federation remain poorly understood.

Initiated in 1994, the Potosí Archaeological Project sought to reconstruct the pre-Hispanic settlement history of this little-studied region. Archaeological surveys and excavations undertaken across its high plateaux and valleys identified 121 sites, documenting human occupation from the Archaic period through to the Inca era. The evidence encompasses settlements, fortified sites, agricultural terraces, funerary structures, ceramic assemblages and traces of metallurgical activity, providing important insights into regional cultural traditions and patterns of settlement.

This volume brings together the results of these investigations in a comprehensive archaeological and historical synthesis. Through the analysis of settlement patterns, ceramic traditions and excavated remains, it establishes a framework for understanding the development of pre-Hispanic societies in southern Potosí. The findings are reconsidered alongside ethnohistorical sources and more recent archaeological and ethnographic research, including studies of mining and the religious significance of sacred mountains.

By integrating these different strands of evidence, the study offers a new perspective on the cultural history of the southern Bolivian Andes, with particular emphasis on the emergence of the Wisijsa and their place within the Qaraqara-Charca federation.