Mineralogical Analysis of Beads From the Southern Calchaquíes Valleys, Northwestern Argentina (1500 bc –1000 ad)

ABSTRACT This paper presents a mineralogical analysis of 15 beads of the Formative Period (1500 bc– 1000 ad) from the Cajón and Santa María Valleys and the Western Aconquija Foothills (Southern Calchaquíes Valleys, Northwestern Argentina). X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy identified turquoise, chrysocolla, opal, sodalite, calcite, aragonite and muscovite as primary constituents. The presence of non‐local minerals shows that this region integrated the network of circulation and exchange that connected Northwestern Argentina, Northern Chile and Southern Bolivia, adding new evidence to better understand the long‐distance contacts of the first agrarian populations.