Internet Archaeology 10 Currie 3.0

3.0 The Late Period Occupations at Hacienda Zuleta

As the location of the largest and, importantly, one of the most intact groups of tolas and ramp-tolas in the northern sierra, Hacienda Zuleta potentially affords an important insight into the nature and functioning of the Late Period chiefdom societies that flourished during the late pre-Spanish period. However, less is known of the protohistoric affiliations of this site than others in the region, as for example, at Cochasquí, Cayambe or Otavalo, Atuntaqui, Urcuqui or Pinsaquí. Ethnohistoric studies of these sites have been able to take advantage of population censuses of the region's newly-established encomiendas, and repartimientos undertaken during the earliest Spanish administration visitas. These have allowed some reconstruction of pre-Inca aboriginal communities and political entities - the individual parcialidades and llajtakuna referred to by the Spanish as pueblos de los indios (Espinosa Soriano 1988, II; Larrain Barros 1980,11; Salomon 1986).