CHOBSHI CULTURE: CHARACTERISTICS, GEOGRAPHY AND CHRONOLOGY - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Chobshi culture belongs to the archaeological site that is located in the foothills of Cerro Huallil, in the province of Azuay, Ecuador. Chobshi is an important historical site, as it constitutes one of the oldest finds in this country.

In this cave, samples of the presence of the first Ecuadorian men have been found, making it one of the emblematic sites of the Paleo-Indian and culturally located in the pre-ceramic era.

Geography

The Chobshi archaeological site is located on one of the walls of the Puente Seco stream on the left bank of the Santa Bárbara River, Sigsig canton 62 km from the basin, capital of the Azuay province.

It limits to the north with the cantons of Chordeleg and Gualaceo, to the west with the city of Cuenca, to the south with the parish of Chigüinda and to the east with Limón Indaza. It is located at an average altitude of 2498 meters above sea level with an average annual temperature of 15 ° C.

Three types of climates can be appreciated in the area:

• Cantonal center and in valley: Mesothermic and semi-humid climate. Temperature from 12 to 18 ° C.
• Plateau: temperate humid climate. Temperature from 12 to 18 ° C.
• Cordillera: Cold climate. Temperature from 6 to 16 ° C.

In addition, the main rivers near the archaeological zone are the Santa Bárbara and the Bolo Palmar.

Pre-ceramic period

This period refers to the first human settlements in the Andean area of ​​South America that preceded the introduction of ceramics. The first humans who arrived in this territory are called Paleo-Indians and generally this period is also known as the lithic stage.

In Ecuador the pre-ceramic is believed to have started around 9000 BC to 4200 BC According to researcher Jeffrey Quitter, Ecuador shows dense occupations in the highlands that until now have not been demonstrated either in Peru or Bolivia.

This moment fits into the Holocene as a new climatic period with new fauna characteristics. The megafauna of the Pleistocene have already disappeared, as well as the ancestors of the current species.

In general, man coexists with the fauna that we can find on the site today that is found today.

Chronology

Carbon tests applied to the remains found at Chobshi indicate an antiquity that goes from 10,000 BC to 8000 BC.

Thus, this site represents a point in history between the Paleo-Indian and significant events such as hunting specialization.

Chobshi Black Cave

The Chobshi Black Cave is a site that was extensively studied by researchers Thomas Lynch and Susan Pollock from the United States and Gustavo Reinoso from Ecuador.

As a matter of note, these investigations have obtained lithic and fauna remains of great importance, as well as artifacts made from these same materials.

The findings found were buried at a depth of 10 and 20 cm from the soil surface. In addition, more than 40 types of lithic artifacts have been found such as lanceolate and pedunculated spearheads, knives, scrapers and burins.

These utensils were manufactured mainly in horsteno, which is a variety of flint and in turn several pieces of obsidian have also been recovered, which are not possible to find in this place.

These are believed to have been imported from the north of the country at the end of the formative period by the cave's inhabitants. This material also became basic for the manufacture of knives and other basic utensils, which have come to be grouped into up to 46 different groups.

These instruments made it possible to obtain food through the entire process from hunting to the processing of meat and skin for consumption.

The Chobshi Cave is also of great importance due to the number of animal species associated with the site that have been found.

These remains have been identified as belonging to a historical framework that goes from 8060 BC to 5585 BC and are exclusively related to animals related to the diet.

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileusvirginanus) is the species with the most evidence found, followed by the pudu (Pudumephistopheles) and the rabbit (Sylvilagusbrasilensis).

The other animals found are of a variety including tapirs, opossums, bush gloves, spectacled bears, and partridges.

Other animal species found that do not correspond to the group of food resources are dogs (Canisfamiliaris) and wolves or foxes (Dusycionsp.).

It is known that along with the groups of hunter-gatherers from Asia, the domesticated dog was already included. The latter represented a company in the hunting and surveillance activities of the camps.

Later archaeological finds

The Chobshi site is the site of a complex of archaeological sites other than the Black Cave, highlighting the importance of the site as a whole to pre-Hispanic cultures.

Chobshi Castle

This place is located just 250 meters from the Black Cave. It is distributed in a rectangular construction 110 meters long, 22 meters wide and 2.90 meters high.

There is also a small annexed structure measuring 1.80 by 0.70 m. The Cañari culture is responsible for the construction of this complex and was under the command of the chief Duma who was the inhabitant of this place. This site dates from between 1450 BC to 500 AD

Shabalula

At 1.5 kilometers from the Black Cave you can find the Ingapirca de Shabalula. This site is a construction of boulders worked and bonded with mortar to form rows.

Their distribution is circular with about 4.50 meters in diameter, 3.50 meters high and a corridor of about 2 meters wide. It is believed that this site was also owned by the Cañaris.

Two lithic constructions have also been found that refer to the Inca Trail and that communicated the city of Tomebamba with Sigsig and the Amazon during the Inca Empire.

References

1. Municipal Decentralized Autonomous Government of Sígsig. About the Sigsig. January 20, 2013. sigsig.gob.ec.
2. Chobshi Cave in Retrospect. Lynch, Thomas F. 4, 1989, Andean Past, Vol. 2.
3. Ancestral Ecuador. The early man of Ecuador. 2009. ecuador-ancestral.com.
4. Usillos, Andrés Gutiérrez. Gods, Symbols and Food in the Andes. Quito: Abya-Yala Editions, 1998. 9978 22 28-4.
5. Quito Adventure. CHOBSHI - AZUAY. quitoadventure.com.
6. Luciano, Santiago Ontaneda. The Original Societies of Ecuador. Quito: Librea, 2002.