this study is part of a larger investigation into the development of bronze metallurgy in the central and south-central andes during the middle horizon. it focuses on the kinds of bronze alloy produced and disseminated throughout the region that lies roughly between tiwanaku and san pedro de atacama. lead isotope analysis of bronze artifacts excavated at these two places and of a wide range of metallic ores sampled from deposits in bolivia and northern chile indicates that the ore sources for most of the artifacts were located and exploited in the puna and high sierra of bolivia. these results raise questions about the movement of ore, of bronze lingots, and of bronze objects within the south-central andean interaction sphere during the middle horizon
