El Cucho de Ocloyas: Control e interacción en los Valles Orientales de Jujuy

cucho de ocloyas is located in the eastern valleys of jujuy, dominating a possible entrance road from the chaco plains across catres river. it shows the typical features of an inkaican frontier garrison, that according to our hypothesis, it would be destined to protect and to inform to the production area of tiraxi-tesorero and to the pukara of volcán itself about the movements in the border area. the pieces of pottery that have been recovered, including diagnostic ceramics (aríbalo shards, duck plates), would indicate that the settlement is coeval with the period of state domination in the region. nevertheless, some structural characteristics as well as pottery features suggest that the settlement is not inkaican pure, and show that other processes were developed in the place, either cultural, social or economic. these processes originate the idiosyncrasy of the archeological register and may be explained through alternative hypothesis. this paper discusses the following ones: 1- that such peculiarities are generated by intense interaction processes on the border with groups from the chaco; 2- that they obey to local developments caused by the survival of ancient regional traditions, and 3- that they are caused by the presence of mitimaes transferred by the inkario from other locations, to be used as specialists in the defense of the south-western frontier.