2004 Team 4

THE MYSTERY OF THE GUANGALA OBSIDIAN: A FUNCTIONAL EXAMINATION THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

Andrew Delman, Jennifer Edwards, Patrick Gartland, Lucy Guarnera, Denise Ichinco, Rebecca Katz, Evelyn Ku, Laura Morales, Shawn Sikka, Kristina Slivinski, Jenna Small

Advisor: Dr. Maria Masucci
Assistant: Sally Warner

ABSTRACT

The Guangala people of ancient Ecuador were farmers and hunters who traded with fishermen of the shores and peoples from the mountains. Among the thousands of artifacts found at Guangala sites, archaeologists have unearthed limited quantities of flakes of obsidian, a volcanic glass. However, obsidian is not native to the Guangala region of Ecuador. The flakes were probably obtained from mountain traders; their rarity and difficulty of procurement indicate obsidian may have been considered precious by the Guangala. In order to learn about the Guangala’s use of obsidian, we made replicate obsidian flakes by flintknapping. We then tested the flakes on various contact materials of soft, medium, and hard consistency. Finally, we compared the resulting damage on the edges of the replicas to the damage found on the edges of Guangala artifacts using both reflecting light and scanning electron microscopes. The results led to the preliminary conclusion that the blades were used by the Guangala in some type of ritualistic butchering, providing new insight into the culture of these ancient people.