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Chaquiñan de llugshirum, flores: A record of pedestrian paths in puruha territory

Abstract:

In 2016 we registered the chaquiñanes, or secondary pre-Hispanic roads from the community of Llugshirum, in Flores (Riobamba, Ecuador). We also conducted superficial visual archaeological prospecting of the surrounding area. The objective of the work was to record the chaquiñanes before they were destroyed by communities in search of intensive exploitation of farmlands, and to determine if there were associated archaeological materials on the surface that could indicate the Puruha presence before the arrival of colonizers. Fragments of Puruha, Panzaleo, Republican, and Contemporary pottery were recovered, which showed the use of the pre-Hispanic roads over the course of the last thousand years (at minimum). Today, a large part of the registered sections has been irreversibly destroyed or modified.