Abstract

PRIETO, María Eugenia et al. Las Pailas agricultural fields (Cachi, Salta). Zaranda ideas [online]. 2012, vol.8, n.2, pp.101-117. ISSN 1853-1296.

The archaeological site of Las Pailas is one of the most important agricultural enclaves in the North Calchaquí Valley. It includes 500 hectares of farmland irrigated by a network of canals, a characteristic which leads us to think that the place was settled since the beginning of the First Millennium AD. Research carried out in the past few years has identified a new cultivation area, Las Pailas 2, which is spacially linked to Las Pailas 1. It is supposed to be related to the former and it is very similar regarding the structure of agricultural land. Despite the vastness of the agricultural extension of the region, its study seems to have been relegated to secondary research. The resumption of exploration has improved knowledge and raised awareness of the relationship between ancient societies with their land, the features of the kind of farming carried out, and the type of hydraulic strategies developed to ensure agricultural production. In many cases the former aspects, are important connections to the current farming practices of local people living in this portion of the southern Andes nowadays.

Keywords : North Calchaquí Valley; Las Pailas; Agricultural and Hydraulic Structures; Agricultural Practices..

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