Inventario de la colección arqueológica del Museo Convento de Punín, Cantón Riobamba, provincia de Chimborazo

Abstract

The objective of this technical project was to safeguard the pre-Hispanic archaeological heritage of Punín in Riobamba canton, Chimborazo province, through research, recovery, and enhancement for social use; for which the archaeological collection of Punín Convent Museum was inventoried. For the creation of the inventory, the form established by the National Institute of Cultural Heritage (INPC) for archaeological objects established in the "Instructions for registration form and inventory of Archaeological assets" was used, in which the typology, morphometric characteristics, finishing and decorative techniques, as well as the cultural affiliation to which they belong and the state of conservation in which they are found were determined. In the results, a total of 76 archaeological objects were obtained, of which 67 objects are ceramic, 1 metal, 7 are lithic and 1 malacological. The cultural affiliation of the inventoried assets corresponds to the cultures: Puruhá (66), Tuza (3) and obtained (7) objects that have not been identified. Regarding the manufacturing techniques, all metal objects are laminated, all ceramic objects are modeled, and all stone objects are carved. Polishing is the most common surface finish for metal and lithic objects, and smoothing and polishing is the most common for ceramic objects. Finally, regarding the state of conservation, 91% are in good condition and 96% of integrity status are complete. In conclusion, this research recorded archaeological objects linked to social occupations of the Puruhá culture in the Integration Period (800-1530 AD), related to domestic and productive contexts, and finally registered them in the SIPCE.