Society for American Archaeology

Preceramic Textiles and Cordage from Guitarrero Cave, Peru

Author(s): James M. Adovasio and Thomas F. Lynch
Source: American Antiquity, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Jan., 1973), pp. 84-90
Published by: Society for American Archaeology
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/279313
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 REPORTS
PRECERAMICTEXTILES
AND CORDAGE
FROM GUITARRERO CAVE, PERU
JAMES MLADOVASIO
THOMAS F. LYNCH
ABSTRACT
Fifty-five pieces of cordage and 13 textile frag-
ments, probably dating from the ninth through sixth
millennium B.C., are described from this dry multi-
component site. Wood and bone tools may also be
associated with the textile and basketry industries. It
appears that twining in South America as well as
North America is the basic textile technique from
which most of the others are derived, and that it has a
similar antiquity in both continents. Spiral interlinking
and cross-knit looping are also represented in the early
deposits, and there is a possibility that simple loom
weaving may have a longer history in Peru than
previously supposed.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Youngstown State University
Department of Anthropology
Comell University
September, 1971
Guitarrero Cave is a multi-component oc-
cupation and burialsite excavatedas part of an
investigationof preceramictranshumancein the
Callejonde Huaylas,a major intermontaneval-
ley of the north-centralAndes of Peru.The first
component, with an age of 12,560?360 radio-
carbon years: 10610 B.C., yielded a chipped
stone industry of some 500 pieces and limited
human skeletal remains, but no organic arti-
facts. We are concerned here chiefly with the
textile fragments from the second preceramic
component, Guitarrero II. Charcoal from
Guitarrero Ila, the lowest unit, tested at
10,535?290 radiocarbonyears: 8585 B.C. and
10,475?300 yr: 8525 B.C., while in the same
stratigraphic columns radiocarbon ages of
7575?220 yr: 5625 B.C. and 7680?280 yr:
5730 B.C. were obtained for the final, Guitar-
rero Ile unit (Lynch 1971:142-144; Lynch and
Kennedy 1970).
During GuitarreroII times, the cave, which
has a protected floor area of over 100 m2,
served primarily as a habitation site or base
camp, and a wide variety of everyday artifacts
84
(stone, wood, bone, and textile) became in-
corporated in the dry sediments. A detailed
discussionof artifactsother than textiles, forth-
coming in a fuller report by the second author,
is not possible here. Nevertheless,the presence
of certain associatedtools must be mentioned.
These include 9 bone awls which may have
been used for simple perforating, sewing, or
most pertinently, in the construction of bas-
ketry. Three specimens come from unit Ila, 1
from Ilb (estimated to date from 8000 B.C. to
7400 B.C.), and 1 from unit Ild (about 6800
B.C. to 6200 B.C.).
A numberof wooden pegs, some split and/or
pointed, somewhat resemble the Promontory
pegs of the Great Basin Desert Culture and
might similarly be suspected of a function in
basket making. Although the majority of these
were found in the disturbed upper levels of
GuitarreroCave (ComplexIV) severalexamples
were also found in situ in units Ila and Ile.
Largethorns, occasionallyover 7 cm in length,
occur throughout the fibrous matrix of Com-
plex II. They would obviously be useful for,
among other things, the crafts of fine basketry
and weaving,but it is difficult to establishthat
they were actually used as tools, given their
unalterednaturalcondition.
Perhaps the most tantalizingof the wooden
artifacts are 3 round rods or dowels (about 12
mm in diameterand 36-44 cm long) and 4 pos-
sible sword battens having the characteristic
ovate or lenticularcross section of this weaving
implement. The singlecomplete "batten," from
GuitarreroIlb, is gently pointed on either end
and only 26.5 cm long. It would have been
suitable for packing the weft threads on a
narrowhand loom, if indeed simple looms were
in use this early in the preceramicera. Conjec-
tural uses for the dowel sticks (from Complexes
Ild, III, and IV) are practicallylimitless, but
they include shed rod heddles or warp beams
on crudelooms.
Huntingand gatheringpeople, particularlyat
such early time levels, are not normallythought
to have practiced loom weaving. Nevertheless,
the 2 examples of very fine weft face fabric,
attributed to Complex III and describedbelow,
probably could not have been produced by
 REPOR TS
finger weaving. We are reporting these frag-
ments as belonging to a complex which ap-
parently dates as early as the sixth millennium
B.C. because that is where they were found. At
the same time, it is true that there were minor
indications of disturbancein Complex III and it
is quite possible that these seemingly out-of-
place bits of cloth are intrusive.Both weft face
weaving and cross-knitlooping are common in
the upper disturbed levels of Complex IV,
which contain artifacts of Early Intermediate
and even later date.
On the other hand, we see no reasonwhy, a
priori, hunting and gatheringpeople should be
unable to make use of a loom. We know from
other evidence that the seasonal round in the
Callejon de Huaylas was neither arbitrarynor
accidental. Loom equipment could easily have
been stored in a dry location such as Guitarrero
Caveand used on a regular,if seasonal,basis.
Moreover, it seems likely from the relative
frequencyof smallflake scrapersand the nature
of the faunal remainsthat at least some mem-
bers of the community spent a considerable
amount of time at the cave, working on hides
and perhaps other materialssuitable for cover-
ing, carrying, and tying. Elizabeth Wing (per-
sonal communication) who is analyzing the
fauna, reports that brocket deer (Mazama),the
principalgame animal, is representedlargelyby
foot bones, many of which show butchering
scars. We are most likely dealinghere with the
"schlepp effect," defined recently by Perkins
and Daly (1968:104) in Turkey, but also
known in North Americaamongbison and deer
hunters. Quite simply, when the animal is
butchered, the heavy and useless bones are left
behind at the kill site and the meat is carriedor
draggedhome in the hide, apparentlywith the
feet still attached. The feet may have been
valued as handles, or more likely because they
contain useful sinews. At GuitarreroCave, this
technique may have allowed a degree of seden-
tism for part of the community and, to push the
hypothesis to its limit, supported a sort of
center for variouscrafts.
DESCRIPTION
Some 53 pieces of cordage and 3 fragments
of textiles were recovered from preceramic
Complex II. In addition, 2 pieces of cordage
and 10 textile fragments are described from
85
Complex III, which may also be entirely pre-
ceramic.
In the present context, the term cordage
refers entirely to string, both knotted and
unknotted. The artifacts thus distinguished
were classified according to the following cri-
teria:
1. directionof twist, S or Z;
2. ply (1, 2, or more);
3. diameterof the cordagein millimeters;
4. tightness of the twist measuredin twists
per centimeter.
If the cordage contained knots they were iden-
tified through the United States Navy blue
jackets manual (Stewart 1940), according to
terminologycontainedtherein.
Textiles recoveredfrom preceramicComplex
II include portions of 2 bagsand a rigidbasket,
while Complex III yielded 10 fragments of
cloth. All of these have been classifiedaccord-
ing to the proceduresand terminologyoutlined
by Emery(1966) and Adovasio(1970).
ComplexIla (8600-8000 B.C.)
Unknotted cordage. Seventeen specimensof
cordagewere recoveredfrom this unit. All were
S spun, Z twist, 2 ply. The length of the
individualspecimensrangedfrom 2.2 cm to 21
cm with an average length of 8.57 cm. The
rangein diameterwas .5 mm to 2 mm with an
averagediameter of 1.03 mm. Range in twists
per centimeter was 2.5 to 14, with an average
of 5.24 twists per centimeter. It should be
noted that 5 of the unknotted cordage speci-
mens consisted of a singlestrandor ply doubled
back on itself to form a 2 ply finished product.
Two other specimens from Ila are tapered or
"rat-tailed"with the diameter of the cordage
diminishingfrom one end of the specimen to
the other.
Knotted cordage. Five specimensof knotted
cordage were recovered from Ila. All were S
spun, Z twist, 2 ply. Their measurementsfall
within ranges specified for unknotted cordage.
The types of knots include 2 overhand, 2
squareknots, and 1 grannyknot (Fig. la).
Textiles. Two textile fragmentscame from
unit Ila. (1) Open simple twining, Z twist weft
(stitch slanted down to the right). Warp is
doubled Z twist fiber. The specimenis rigidand
probably representsa portion of a basket.Weft
rows are 3 mm apart.Thereare4 pairsof warps
86 ameRican antiquity [Vol. 38, No. 1, 1973

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and 2 weft rows per centimeter. Individual specimens again fall within the range specified
wefts average slightly more than 1 mm in for unknotted cordage.
diameter, while warps are about 1.5 mm in Textiles. A single textile fragmentfrom Ilb
diameter(Fig. lb). (2) Spiralinterlinking,down representsthe only other textile remainsfrom
to the right spiral, crossed right over left. all of Complex II. The specimen, which is
Elements are 1 ply, S spun, about 1 mm in extremely fragmentary, appears to be close
diameter(Fig. 1c). simple twining with a Z twist weft. The speci-
men has a single flexible warp and could be a
Complex Ilb (8000-7400 B.C.) bag fragment. There are 5 warps and 7 wefts
per square centimeter. The specimen is much
too fragmentary to measure warp and weft
Unknotted cordage. Unit Ilb yielded 15 diametersand no selvagesare present(Fig. Id).
specimens of unknotted cordage. All were S
spun, Z twist, 2 ply. Length varied from .7 cm Complex Ilc (7400-6800 B.C.)
to 11.5 cm, with an averageof 6.18 cm. Range
in diameter was .5 mm to 1 mm, with an Unknotted cordage. Six specimens of un-
average diameter of .83 mm. Twists per centi- knotted cordage representthe only cordage or
meter ranged from 4 to 10, with an averageof textile materials from lIc. All specimensare S
5.73. One specimen of "rat-tailed"cordage is spun, Z twist, 2 ply. The range in length is 4.2
included from this subunit. cm to 21.6 cm, with an averagelength of 11.32
Knotted cordage. Only 2 specimens of cm. The range in diameter is 1 mm to 2 mm,
knotted cordage were recoveredfrom Ilb. Both with an average of 1.56 mm. The twists per
were S spun, Z twist, 2 ply and the knots were centimeter range from 3 to 8.5, with an average
overhand. The measurements for the knotted of 5.67. Two of the specimensare "rat-tailed."
 REPORTS
Complex Ild (6800-6200 B.C.)
Unknotted cordage. As in lIc, only un-
knotted cordage is representedin this subunit.
All specimens are S spun, Z twist, 2 ply. The
range in length is 1.5 cm to 10.5 cm, with an
average length of 4.74 cm. The range in dia-
meter is 1 mm to 2 mm, with an averageof
1.25 mm. The twists per centimeterrangefrom
3 to 7, with an averageof 5.50 (Fig. lh-k).
Complex Ile (6200-5600 B.C.)
No cordage or textiles were recoveredfrom
this unit.
Miscellaneous
Besides the aforementioned textiles and
cordage, Complex II yielded several specimens
which can best be described as construction
material, including a bundle of plant fibers
bound with cordage, some loosely bunched but
%%saaS
~~~~~~~~~~~-M
Fig. 2. Textiles from Guitarrero Cave, Complex III. a, fragments of cross-knit looping specimen; b, fragments
of plain weft faced weaving.
87
untied plant material,and severalsmall coils of
fiber (Fig. le-g).
Complex I1I
This complex is stratigraphicallyabove Com-
plex II and has a single radiocarbondetermina-
tion of 7730?150 yr: 5780 B.C. (RL 112).
Complex III produced only a small amount of
textile and cordagematerial,which is described
below by type.
Unknotted cordage. One specimen of S
spun, Z twist, 2 ply cordagewas recoveredfrom
Complex III. This piece is 36 cm long, 1 mm in
diameter,and has 8 twists per centimeter.
Knotted cordage. Complex III yielded a
single knotted specimen which is extremely
fragmentary.It apparentlyconsists of 2 pieces
of 1 ply, Z twist cordagejoined with a granny
knot.
Textiles. Two types of textiles were re-
covered from this unit. The first type, plain
weft faced weaving, is Tepresentedby 2 speci-
b
88 ameRican
mens, both of which had 2 ply, S twist, cordage
warps and wefts. One specimenhas 6 warpsand
26 wefts per squarecentimeter,while the other
has 7 warps and 36 wefts per square centi-
meter. No selvages are present in these pre-
ceramic woven specimens, but similar speci-
mens with selvage from later components
strongly suggest that, in both preceramicand
later periods, the weaving technique is weft
faced rather than warp faced (Fig. 2b). The
second type, cross-knit looping, is represented
by 8 specimens all of which are apparentlypart
of the same cloth. The fabricis built up of rows
of half hitches and the specimens average 4
rows and 4 half hitches per squarecentimeter.
The diameter of the individual elements is
approximately1 mm (Fig. 2a).
Fiber Type
The specimens described above for Com-
plexes II and III represent at least 4 plant
sources, all of which appear to be non-cotton
types. Plant fiber identificationsand analysesof
other botanical material are currently being
conducted by C. Earle Smith, Jr., Universityof
Alabama, and will hopefully be completed for
inclusion in the final GuitarreroCavereport.A
full discussion of later textiles will also be
includedin that report.
DISCUSSION
The textiles and cordage described above
currently represent the earliest such materials
ever recovered, or at least published, from
South America. As such, they provide us with
valuable insights into early textile production
and cordage manufacturein that area. To find
textile or cordage materials of a comparable
antiquity from any other area,we must turn to
the Great Basin of North America. There, a
number of cave sites have yielded perishables
which date well back into the ninth millennium
B.C. From DangerCaveand HogupCave,Utah,
Falcon Hill and Fishbone Cave, Nevada, and
Fort Rock Cave, Oregon, large quantities of
cordage and basketry were recovered which
provide a substantial corpus of material upon
which to make some generalcomparisonswith
the Peruvianspecimensunder discussion.
Though far less numerous, the Guitarrero
cordage materials are at least equal, if not
antiquity [Vol. 38, No. 1, 1973
superior, in technical quality to similar mate-
rials from the above named sites. Likewise,the
range in types of knots utilized is roughly
equivalent. This would seem to indicate the
existence in both areas of highly developed
cordage making techniques at a very early
period, the products of which doubtless served
similarpurposes(that is, net and snaremaking,
hafting, simple binding, among others) in both
areas.
As with the cordage, textile materials of
early ninth millennium age are availablefrom
the Great Basin which may be used for com-
parative purposes. Twining specimens nearly
identical to those from GuitarreroIla and IlIb
have been recoveredfrom the lower levels of
DangerCaveand HogupCave,Utah, Falcon Hill
and Fishbone Cave, Nevada, and Fort Rock
Cave, Oregon (Adovasio 1970). In all of these
sites, twiningrepresentsthe earliesttextile tech-
nique present. On this basis, it would appear
that in South America, as in North America,
twining is the oldest and most basic textile
making technique from which most, if not all
the others, are ultimately derived.Likewise, it
would indicate that the technology of twining
textiles, either flexible or rigid,was quite wide-
ly distributed, again at an early period, over a
vast section of the Americas.Also, it should be
noted that the presence in the early preceramic
levels of GuitarreroCave of spiralinterlinking
and cross-knit looping also indicates greater
antiquityto these techniquesthan had previous-
ly been ascribed.
Despite the absence of published textile
materialsof a comparableantiquity from South
America, some comparisons can be advanced
with later preceramictextile assemblagesfrom
that area.
Textiles of many types, including some
varietieshighly similarto those from Guitarrero
Cave, were recovered from the preceramic
central coast site of Asia (Engel 1963). The half
hitch looped fabrics of that site and the spiral
interlinking are virtually identical, in many
instances, to the GuitarreroCave specimens,
although the Asia material generally includes
much more complicated looping varieties not
represented in the Guitarrero Cave deposits.
These latter may be viewed as simple elabora-
tions of the more basic looping techniques
representedboth at Asia and GuitarreroCave.
The Asia textiles also include considerable
 REPORTS
quantities of twined matting. In the last in-
stance, the twining technique is identical to
that employed at GuitarreroCave for the rigid
basketry fragmentfrom Complex Ila. It should
also be noted that cordage was numerous at
Asia and included all the knot types repre-
sented at Guitarrero plus many other more
elaboratevarieties.
There are far fewer apparent similarities
between the GuitarreroCave textiles and those
from HuacaPrieta (Bird 1948). This, however,
may be due in part to the paucity of published
materialon the textiles of that site.
Twining predominatesat Huaca Prieta, but
the twining techniques, both in cloth, matting,
and basketry, appear to be unlike those from
GuitarreroCave. The weavingpresent at Huaca
Prieta is warp faced and, despite its simplicity,
is alreadyconsiderablymore sophisticatedthan
that from GuitarreroCave. Coiling is also pre-
sent, whereasit is totally lackingat Guitarrero.
The only obvious similaritybetween the Guitar-
rero textiles and the Huaca Prietaspecimensis
the presenceof half hitch looping at both sites.
Looking fartherafield, it is possible to note
certain resemblances between the preceramic
textiles from GuitarreroCave and those from 2
sites in northern Chile. Bird (1943) reports a
cross-knitlooped bag from the preceramicsite
of Quianiwhich is identicalin techniqueto the
Complex III fragmentsfrom Guitarrero.There
is likewise some simple woven cloth, matting,
and coiling, although the latter is probablynot
preceramic.
From another northern Chilean site, Punta
Pichalo, rigid twined pack basket fragments
remarkablysimilarto the specimen from Com-
plex Ila at Guitarrero,are reportedand figured
by Bird(1943). The site also yielded some plain
cloth and a number of looped bags. Again
coiling was present, although not in the pre-
ceramicunits.
Finally, mention should be made of the
preceramicperishablesrecovered from Paracas
(Engel 1960). Once again, certain similarities
may be seen with the GuitarreroCavematerials.
Looped bags are present which employ the
same half hitch technique evidenced at Guitar-
rero and elsewhere,as well as twined mats and
bags which are producedvia the same technique
as representedon the single specimen of rigid
twining from Guitarrero,Complex Ila. As with
other sites noted above, Paracasalso yielded
89
considerably more sophisticated textiles of
varieties not found in the preceramic com-
ponents at GuitarreroCave.
From the brief comparisons made here, it
seems apparentthat the Guitarrerotextiles are
generally much simpler and represent a more
rudimentary stage of technical development
than those recovered from any other pre-
ceramic site. At the same time, it also appears
that the bases for many and diverselater devel-
opments can also be found in the Guitarrero
specimens,as well as a numberof possiblelinks
with later assemblages.
Specifically, the half hitch looping at Guitar-
rero and the even simpler spiral interlinking
may be viewed as evidenceof the beginningsof
techniques which were to become very wide-
spread during later periods. The Guitarrero
Cave twining, though admittedly scarce, may
likewise constitute the roots of what was to
become a quite common textile technique,
particularlyon the coast (Moseley and Barrett
1969).
Two enigmatic problems remain to be dis-
cussed. The total lack of twined cloth fabrics,
as opposed to rigid basketry or bags,at Guitar-
rero Cave is highly unusual,particularlyin light
of its wide-spreadcoastal distribution and the
apparently early occurrence of loom woven
fabricsin Complex Ill.
Similarly, the absence of coiling is un-
expected since this basketry technique normal-
ly appears fairly early, if we may again make
comparisonswith developmentsin North Amer-
ica. It is presumed that solutions to these and
other more complex problems related to the
evolution of South American textiles and
basketry will become clearer with the excava-
tion and publication of more perishables
ascribableto early preceramicoccupations.
Acknowledgments.GuitarreroCavewas excavated
in 1969 with permissionby the PatronatoNacionalde
Arqueologia,ResolucionSuprema224. Financialsup-
port throughNationalScience FoundationGrantGS-
2399 is also gratefully acknowledged,as is the co-
operation of the Comunidadde Shupluy on whose
land the site is located. Partialfinancial support for
the textile analysis was provided by the Research
Council of Youngstown State University. Special
thanks are also due to GeorgeAltmanwho measured
the materialdiscussedin this naner.
Adovasio, James M.
1970 The origin, development, and distribution
of Western Archaic textiles. Tebiwa 13:1-40.
90 ameRicanantiquity
Bird, Junius
1943 Excavations in northern Chile. American
Museum of Natural History, Anthropological
Papers 38:173-318.
1948 Preceramic cultures in Chicama and Viru. In
A reappraisal of Peruvian archaeology, as-
sembled by Wendell C. Bennett. Society for
American Archaeology, Memoir 4:21-28.
Emery, Irene
1966 The primary structure of fabrics. The Tex-
tile Museum, Washington, D.C.
Engel, Fr6d6ric
1960 Un groupe humain datant de 5000 ans a
Paracas, P6rou. Journal de la Societe des
Am&icanistes (n.s.) 49:7-35.
Lynch, Thomas F.
1971 Preceramic transhumance in the Callej6n de
Huaylas, Peru. American Antiquity
36:139-148.
Lynch, Thomas F., and K. A. R. Kennedy
1970 Early human cultural and skeletal remains
from Guitarrero Cave, northern Peru. Science
169:1307-1309.
Moseley, M. Edward, and Linda K. Barrett
1969 Change in preceramic twined textiles from
the cenitral Peruvian coast. American Antiquity
34:162- 165.
Perkins, Dexter, Jr., and Patricia Daly
1968 A hunter's village in neolithic Turkey.
Scientific American 219(5):97-106.
Stewart, G. V.
1940 United States Navy blue jackets manual.
United States Naval Institute, Annapolis.
A FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS
OF "CLEAR FORK" ARTIFACTS
FROM THE RIO GRANDE PLAIN,
TEXAS
THOMAS RoY HESTER
DELBERT GILBOW
ALAN D.ALBEE
ABSTRACT
A series of "Clear Fork" tools from the Rio
Grande Plain of southern Texas have been subjected to
a functional analysis. Macroscopic, microscopic, and
edge angle studies were conducted. A high frequency
of nibbling wear was recorded on steeply-angled work-
ing edges. Comparisons of these data with several
published studies indicate that this tool form was used
in the working of wood or other tough materials.
Department of Anthropology
University of California, Berkeley
October, 1971
Over the past severalyears, there has been a All of the specimens described here were
growing interest in the functional analysis of collected from archaeologicalsites in Dimmit
chipped stone tools (Witthoft 1955, 1967; and ZavalaCounties, southern Texas (most are
[Vol. 38, No. 1, 1973
Semenov 1964; Wilmsen 1968; Frison 1968;
Hester 1970, 1972; Nance 1971; Shafer and
Hester 1971). These studies have developed in
large part from the revivedemphasisplaced on
lithic technology, and rely heavily on the
microscopic examination of tool edges, using
techniques developed by Semenov (1964),
Mirambell S. (1964), and MacDonald and
Sangor(1968). The microscopicaspect of func-
tional analysis has been supplemented by the
study of tool edge angles (Wilmsen1968). The
data obtained from such researchhave permit-
ted archaeologiststo formulate more accurate
inferences regardingtool use, and thus avoid
many of the pitfalls of subjective interpreta-
tion.
In this paper, we present the results of a
study of 56 triangularchipped stone tools from
archaeologicalsites on the Rio GrandePlain of
southern Texas. These artifacts, of which there
are both unifacial and bifacial forms, are usual-
ly referredto in the archaeologicalliteratureas
"ClearFork Gouges", Ray 1938, 1941, 1961).
They have a wide spatial distributionin Texas
and northeastern Mexico, with perhaps the
greatestconcentrationsoccurringin the Abilene
area of north-central Texas and on the Rio
GrandePlain. It is believed that this tool form
had its temporal origins during the terminal
Pleistocene(Epstein 1969:120), yet persistedin
southern Texas through the Late Prehistoric
period (Nunley and Hester 1966:241). The
bifacial variety was termed "ClearFork Gouge
1" by Ray (1941) and the unifacial form,
"Clear Fork Gouge 2" (or "Planer Gouge").
Ray (1938:198) suggested that the unifacial
form was used in planing down the surfaces
which had been "gouged" (with the bifacial
form) in wood or bone. Recent archaeological
studies have chosen either to avoid the problem
of functional identification (Epstein 1969:42)
or have proposed more inclusiverubricssuch as
"gouge-scraper"(Hester and others 1969:152).
Therefore, we have subjected a series of
these specimens (Fig. 1) to a rigorousanalysis
in an attempt to develop a basis for functional
speculations.
THE SAMPLE