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TEQUINHO GEOGLYPH SITE AND EARLY
POLYCHROME HORIZON 300 BC-AD 300/500
IN THE BRAZILIAN STATE OF ACRE
Martti Pärssinen
University of Helsinki - Department of World Cultures
Amazônica - Revista de Antropologia
178
volume 13 (1) | 177 - 220 | 2021
In Amazonian archaeological discussion the concept of tradition presupposes a keen connection between poery
styles and specic language groups. Multicultural traditions or transcultural adaptions are oen pushed aside. Denise
Schaan returned to the concept of horizon in order to explain a number of archaeological phenomena from a wide
geographical and chronological perspective. Also in this study the concept of Polychrome Horizon is used, but it is
divided between Early and Late Polychrome Horizons. At the same time an entirely new area, eastern Acre, and its
archaeological sub-tradition Tequinho, dated 50BC-AD200 with its polychrome poery, are brought into the discussion.
Tequinho is situated in the interuvial terra rme environment, and by its geographic position mediated contacts
between the headwaters of the Amazon, the Ucayali and the Madeira rivers.
ABSTRACT
Keywords: Amazonian archaeology; Polychrome pottery; Horizon.
SÍTIO GEOGLIFO TEQUINHO E HORIZONTE
POLICROMÁTICO INICIAL 300 AC - 300/500
DC NO ESTADO BRASILEIRO DO ACRE
Na discussão arqueológica amazônica, o conceito de tradição
pressupõe uma forte conexão entre estilos de cerâmica e
grupos linguísticos especícos. Tradições multiculturais ou
adaptações transculturais são frequentemente deixadas de
lado. Denise Schaan voltou ao conceito de horizonte para
explicar uma série de fenômenos arqueológicos de uma
ampla perspectiva geográca e cronológica. Também neste
estudo é utilizado o conceito de horizonte policromo, mas
é dividido entre horizonte policromo inicial e horizonte
policromo tardio. Ao mesmo tempo, uma área inteiramente
nova, o Leste do Acre, e sua subtradição arqueológica
Tequinho, datada de 50 a.C. - 200 a. D., com sua cerâmica
policromada, são trazidos para a discussão. O Tequinho está
situado no ambiente interuvial de terra rme, e por sua
posição geográca media os contatos entre as cabeceiras
do Amazonas, o Ucayali e o Madeira.
RESUMO
Palavras-chave: Arqueologia Amazônica; Cerâmica
Policromada; Horizonte.
SITIO GEOGLIFO TEQUINHO Y HORIZONTE
POLICROMO TEMPRANO 300 A. C. - 300/500
D. C. EN EL ESTADO BRASILEÑO DE ACRE
En la discusión arqueológica amazónica, el concepto de
tradición presupone una estrecha conexión entre los
estilos de cerámica y grupos lingüísticos especícos.
Las tradiciones multiculturales o las adaptaciones
transculturales a menudo se dejan de lado. Denise Schaan
volvió al concepto de horizonte para explicar una serie de
fenómenos arqueológicos desde una amplia perspectiva
geográca y cronológica. También en este estudio se
utiliza el concepto de Horizonte Policrómico, pero se
divide entre Horizontes Policromados Temprano y Tardío.
Al mismo tiempo, se introduce en la discusión un área
completamente nueva, el este de Acre, y su subtradición
arqueológica Tequinho, que data del 50 a. C. - 200 d. C.
con su cerámica policromada. Tequinho está situado en
el ambiente interuvial de tierra rme, y por su posición
geográca medió contactos entre las cabeceras de los ríos
Amazonas, Ucayali y Madeira.
RESUMEN
Palabras clave: Arqueología Amazónica; Alfarería Policro-
mada; Horizonte.
179
Martti Pärssinen
Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
INTRODUCTION
e great quality of Amazonian polychromic
ceramics was rst described by Gaspar Carvajal,
who participated in the Amazonian expedition
of Francisco de Orellana in 1541-1542. Carvajal
(1992:246) saw jars, pitchers, plates, bowls and
“candlesticks” (probably referring to Santarém
Florid style/Boleneck vases with small mouths),
considering them to be the best quality he had ever
seen. Historically, the origin of the Amazonian
Polychrome ceramic style is argued to be related
either to the Incised Rim/Barrancoid tradition and
its painted ceramics associated with Arawakan
linguistic groups, or to finger-nail marked,
corrugated and painted poery associated with
Tupi-Guarani linguistic groups. Nordenskiöld
(1913), for example, associated the polychrome
poery of Mojos to the Arawak, and Lothrop
(1932) the polychrome poery of the Rio de la
Plata (and the Ucayali) with Tupi-Guarani (see
also, Ambrosei 1895, Metraux 1928). Kroeber
(1949:486) was more tentative, but writes that
if the Arawak originated the style, many other
linguistic groups such as Panoan in the Ucayali
area developed it. Willey (1949: 190) also
considered Guarani polychrome to be a part of
a larger Amazonian painting tradition – not the
creator of this tradition. Furthermore, at this time
Howard (1947) had categorized the style as “the
Polychrome Division of Amazonia.”
Meggers and Evans (1961, 1983) and Evans
and Meggers (1968) noticed that the polychrome
style expanded rapidly from the Ecuadorian Napo
River to Central Amazon and further to the island
of Marajó as well as to the upper Madeira River,
allowing them to call the style the Polychromic
Horizon Style. In 1970 Lathrap returned to the
idea of connections between polychromic poery
and the migration of Tupi-Guarani linguistic
groups. Instead of the Horizon Style he called
it a ceramic Tradition, supposing that its origin
might be found in Central Amazonia. In Brazil,
Brochado (1984, 1989) followed Lathrap’s idea
and created hypothetical routes of Tupi-Guarani
expansion. Brochado, among others, used
historical information about the distribution of
Tupi languages studied and classied since Martius
(1867), Rivet (1924) and Loukotka (1939, see also
Noelli 2008) and compared these maps to the
chronological and spatial distribution of ceramics
and other archaeological objects associated with
Tupi-Guarani. In ceramics, Brochado considered
especially polychrome, corrugated and combed
(escovado) poeries to be a part of the Tupi-Guarani
tradition. Brochado gained many followers,
and similar and more precise interdisciplinary
mappings are still going on (e.g. Silva & Noelli
2017, Bonomo et al. 2015, Iriarte et al. 2016).
Amazônica - Revista de Antropologia
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Nevertheless, some new archaeological sites
with polychrome poery in the Lower Amazon
have strengthened the idea that contacts with the
Barrancoid Tradition in the Venezuelan Orinoco
(and the Caribbean Islands) already existed some
two thousand years ago. Especially the ceramics
of Pocó and Açutuba or Pocó-Açutuba present
many characteristics of the Barrancoid Tradition
(Hilbert & Hilbert 1980, Lima 2008, 2016, Lima &
Neves 2011, Lima et al. 2006) associated with the
Arawakan language groups (e.g. Cruxent & Rouse
1961, Roosevelt 1980, Rouse 1992).
Schaan (2012:181) preferred to speak of the
Saladoid-Barrancoid Horizon “which inuenced
several Formative ceramic styles along the central
and lower Amazon, penetrated the Amazon basin
through the Orinoco River, coming from Venezuela.
Aer AD 400, the Polychrome Horizon poery
makes its appearance, along with the proliferation
of earthworks throughout the basin.” At this time,
AD 400 was generally accepted as the date for
the rst appearance of polychrome poery in the
Amazon basin (e.g. Roosevelt 2014: 146, Bellei
2016: 351-352, see also Rostain 2013: 105). At
the same time, nevertheless, some researchers
paid aention to the fact that the Pocó and the
Açutuba represent in many respects the oldest
Saladoid and Incised Rim/Barrancoid Tradition
in the Lower and Central Amazon with their own
bi-chrome and polychrome poery styles without
direct connection with the “real” Polychrome
Tradition. Lima and her colleagues (2006) dated
the Açutuba phase between 300 BC and AD 360,
or 300 BC and AD 600 (Neves 2012 - Table 4.3 -
4.). e Pocó phase may even have started some
hundreds of years earlier (Almeida & Neves 2014:
176, Guapindaia 2008, Hilbert & Hilbert 1980, Lima
& Neves 2011) even though it is somewhat unclear
when its polychrome painting did emerge.
Also in the Upper Madeira, Miller (1992, cited
also by Almeida & Moraes 2016: 403, Almeida
& Neves 2014:177) published a very early date,
1049-750 BC, for the Jatuarana sub-tradition
related to polychrome poery. Nevertheless, new
dates from the Upper Madeira indicate that this
particular polychrome style did not enter there
before AD 600/700 (Almeida & Moraes 2016:410-
411, Almeida & Neves 2014: 178, Kater et al. 2020).
On the other hand, in the Upper Madeira River
basin the Pocó-Açutuba style seems to be older
than in the Central and Lower Amazon. Currently,
the Madeira ceramics attributed to the Pocó-
Açutuba (Polychrome) Tradition is dated there
from 1500/1000 BC to AD 200/400, while the Incised
Rim/Barrancoid Tradition is considered there a
completely separate and later phase that begins
ca. AD 400 (e.g. Almeida & Moraes 2016, Kater
2020, Neves et al. 2020, Zuse 2016, Zuse et al. 2020).
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Martti Pärssinen
Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
In this article I introduce into the discussion
the ceremonial polychrome poery found from
the Tequinho archaeological site I excavated with
Denise Schaan and Alceu Ranzi in the eastern
State of Acre. Tequinho Polychrome, dated 50
BC-AD 200, appears to be some kind of missing
link between Pocó-Açutuba/Arawakan (in the
Early Polychrome Horizon) and Tupi-Guarani
(in the Late Polychrome Horizon) Traditions.
Tequinho is situated in the interuvial terra rme
upland, and by its geographic position mediated
contacts between the headwaters of the Amazon,
the Ucayali and the Madeira rivers.
Tequinho is an important site situated in the
“epicenter” of geometrically paerned earthworks
found since 1977 in eastern Acre (Dias & Carvalho
1988, Pärssinen et al. 2003, 2009, Proust 1992:464,
Ranzi 2003, Ranzi & Aguiar 2001, Saunaluoma
& Schaan 2012, Schaan et al. 2008, 2012). Since
my rst visit to Acre in 2002, I understood that
the peoples who had built so many dierent
earthworks and roads in an area starting from
northern Bolivia and reaching deep into the
Brazilian state of Amazonas must have been a
multiethnic formation that shared a common world
view. e area is broad and at the time of European
contacts, tens of indigenous languages were spoken
there (Eriksen 2011, Metraux 1948, Pärssinen
2018). Furthermore, certain earthwork forms were
concentrated in the specic zones of the greater
earthwork area indicating possible dierentiations
between ethnic groups. Shared ideology, in turn,
can be seen in the systematic use of geometric
forms when ceremonial centers, or geoglyphs
as Ranzi (2003) called Acrean earthworks, were
constructed. Both of us agreed that an ancient
civilization was concerned. We do not know
whether the civilization had a shared name to
represent its ideological unity, but we might call
the civilization that constructed geometrically
paerned earthworks and roads in Acre Aquiry,
taking the name of the rst historical exploration
of it published by Chandless (1866a, 1866b,
1866c). Obviously, the question here concerns an
indigenous name. e current hypothesis, given
also by Dr. Sidney da Silva Facundes (personal
communication in 2020), is that Aquiry may come
from the Apurinã (Arawakan) word for caiman
“(k)aikyry” (the River of Caimans; today known
as the Acre river).
1 AN ANDEAN EXAMPLE AND POLYCHROME
HORIZONS AS CHRONOLOGICAL AND STYLIS-
TIC MARKERS IN AMAZONIA
As mentioned earlier, in the history of
Amazonian archaeology, the distribution of
polychrome poery was rst considered to be a
chronological horizon that spread quite suddenly in
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dierent parts of Amazonia across cultural frontiers
as a diagnostic decorative and technological style
(Meggers & Evans 1961). In the 1960s, and even
before, the concept of a chronological horizon
was debated among archaeologists working in
Mesoamerica and the Andes (see e.g. Willey &
Phillips 1958). At the beginning of the 20th century,
Max Uhle used the concept for the rst time in
order to describe a stylistic homogeneity (horizon)
that appeared in the Andes during the Tiwanaku
and Inca periods. Aer working in dierent parts
of the Andes, he concentrated on the Ica and
Chincha valleys, from where he nally established
his cultural phases for Peru. In that time Uhle
(1913) started to speak about two chronological
horizons: Tiwanaku and Inca. By this he meant
that it was possible to nd stylistic traits of these
two cultures in dierent parts of the Andes that
also gave a relative chronological position for
other cultures. Kroeber (1924), who got to know
Uhle during his stay in Berkeley from 1901 to
1903 (Rowe 1962a), and was familiar with Uhle’s
collection and writings, adapted the terminology
even to his studies in Mexico, and together with
O’Neale, he used it in Andean chronology (Kroeber
1944, O’Neale & Kroeber 1930). In Peru, Tello (1970
[1931]) added the Wari to these two cultures, which
formed a contemporaneous cultural entity with the
Tiwanaku. Finally, in the 1950s when Rowe started
to work with Max Uhle’s collection in Berkeley and
aer he organized additional excavations in Ica, he
adopted Uhle’s concept of chronological horizon,
and added to the list an earlier one, Chavín, based
on the works of Kroeber (1944), Tello (1949), Willey
(1945, 1948), and some others (see Rowe 1954,
1962b, 1962c, 1962d, 1998, see also Lanning 1967,
Menzel 1964). Rowe did not search for complex
cultural paerns, but like Uhle, had decided to
establish a master sequence for Central Andean
ceramic chronology without any evolutionary pre-
suppositions. e starting point of each horizon
was determined from the small Ica valley: when
the rst evidence of Chavín and Wari-Tiwanku
cultures was detected and radiocarbon dated, it
gave the terminus post quem date for the Early
and the Middle Horizons. When the inuence
disappeared in the ceramics, the terminus ante
quem date was established. Nevertheless, the
Late Horizon was dened by using the historical
information on the probable year when Inca
expansion and the Spanish conquestadors reached
the Ica valley. Today, Rowe’s chronology with
three Horizon styles, Chavín (Early Horizon, 900-
200 BC), Wari-Tiwanaku (Middle Horizon, AD
600-1000) and Inca (Late Horizon, 1476-1534),
and three other ceramic periods (Initial, 1800-900
BC; Early Intermediate, 200 BC-AD 600 and Late
Intermediate Periods, AD 1000-1476), is almost
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Martti Pärssinen
Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
unanimously accepted among Central Andean
specialists (see also Pärssinen 2015a, Rice 1993).
Kroeber, Meggers and Evans were present
when Willey (1948) presented his paper “A
Functional Analysis of “Horizon Styles” in
Peruvian Archaeology” in the Conference
on
Peruvian archaeology that
was held in 1947 at
the
Vikin
g
Fund
headquarters
in New York
City
(Benne 1948). In this paper Willey (1948)
presented his idea of ve horizons: Chavín,
White-on-Red (painting), Negative (painting),
Tiwanaku, and Inca. More than ten years
later, before Rowe had denitely dropped
out White-on-Red and Negative paintings
from the list (because he could not detect
those styles in the Ica valley), Meggers and
Evans
(1961) started systematically to use the
horizon concept also in Amazonian archaeology.
Borrowing from Willey´s model the idea of the
White-on-Red and Negative Horizons, they found
four Amazonian decorative techniques that could
be suitable for chronological markers of horizons:
Polychrome, Zoned Hachure, Incised Rim, and
Incised Punctate (see also, Barreto et al. 2016:
590-591). In 1970 Lathrap changed the horizon
term to tradition (see also Willey & Phillips 1958:
35-40). Consequently, when Simões (1972) listed
dierent Brazilian archaeological phases, he did
not use the term horizon; instead, he categorized
them under five traditions: Zoned Hachure,
Incised Rim, Polychrome, Incised Punctate and
Other. Seemingly his idea was that more than
chronological markers, these dierent decorative
technics represented more permanent cultural
traditions related to certain ethnic and linguistic
groups. us, archaeologists working in Amazonia,
including Meggers and Evans (1983), soon started
to speak about dierent manufacturing and stylistic
traditions, trying to nd a correspondence between
linguistic groups and ceramic styles, and in a way
returning to the ideas originally started around
the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Now archaeologists combined new ethnohistorical
and linguistic evidence with archaeological
records, trying especially to nd material markers
of the expansion of mayor linguistic groups such
as Arawak and Tupi-Guarani (e.g. Brochado 1984,
Heckenberger 2002, Lathrap et al. 1987, Noelli
1996, 1998, 2004, Oliver 1989, Pärssinen 2003).
is interest in combining material markers
with any spoken language can be justied, but
at the same time it can be criticized for certain
limitations. Today the concept of tradition in the
Amazonian context presupposes a very keen
connection between technological and decorative
pottery styles and specific language groups.
estions concerning multicultural traditions
(such as the case of earthworks building Aquiry
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civilization) or transcultural adaptions (such as
the case of the Panoan-speaking Conibos and
Shipibos in the Ucayali) have been pushed aside.
Nevertheless, it is very possible that the expansion
of some ceramic traditions in Amazonia were
conducted through indigenous exchange systems
between dierent ethno-linguistic groups – not
only by a signicant wave of migration (Hornborg
2005, Eriksen 2011, Lima 2008, Lyon 1987, Neves
1999, see also Schaan 2015:102).
From the multidisciplinary point of view,
we must also remember the distinctive nature
of historical, linguistic and archaeological data.
Historically recorded religious, economic or
political changes do not immediately affect
all material culture that can be detected
archaeologically, or vice versa; a rapid change
in material culture does not necessarily imply a
simultaneous reorganization of religious, economic
or political life (see Braudel 1980: 25-54, 64-82). In
numerous cases, the lack of correlation between
archaeological and intangible evidence has
been documented. In Mexico, Smith (1987: 37-
54) analyzed ethnohistorical and archaeological
records of the Aztec expansion and concluded
that the supposed artefactual markers of conquest
spread to some provincial regions before the actual
incorporation of these regions into the Aztec state.
Also in the Andes the situation seems to be quite
similar if we study the chronology of Inca-style
ceramics and architecture in relation to that of the
historically established Inca expansion. Current
evidence rmly indicates that the Incas adopted
much of their imperial style from the Lake Titicaca
region, where it had developed during the Late
Intermediate Period from the earlier Tiwanaku
style (Pärssinen & Siiriäinen 1997, Pärssinen 2015b).
us, the tradition was there at least a hundred of
years before the Inca expansion (see also Marsh et
al. 2017). Furthermore, in the Andes especially the
Early Horizon and to a great extent also the Middle
Horizon were based on the expansion of religious
ideologies manifested in Chavín, Tiwanaku and
Wari styles (e.g. Burger 1992, Isbell et al. 2018,
Korpisaari & Pärssinen 2011). Both Horizons
were multicultural phenomena as was the Late
Horizon that was created by the expansionistic and
multicultural Inca State (e.g. Murra 1980, Pärssinen
1992, Rowe 1946). Also in Amazonia, Eriksen (2011)
and Carling et al. (2013) have demonstrated that
many locally produced ceramic styles, such as
those produced during the Paredão phase (AD
700-1200) in the middle Amazon, were maintained
by some groups for millennia “without adapting
the style of their poery despite long periods of
contact and outer pressure from major ceramic
tradition” (Carling et al. 2013:35).
ese kinds of facts probably let Schaan (2012,
185
Martti Pärssinen
Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
2015), together with Roosevelt (1993, 1999, 2013),
maintain the concept of horizon in the Amazonian
context, too. It is more neutral toward direct
linguistic correspondence and it aims to see a
larger number of archaeological phenomena from a
wider geographical and chronological perspective.
At the same time it leaves space to use the
concept of tradition in long-lasting and regional
contexts (e.g. Pocó-Açutuba or Tupi-Guarani
Tradition). In fact, neither in the Andes nor in
the Amazonia can we understand horizons without
understanding the dierent traditions on which
each horizon was composed. Even in the Andes,
the selement and burial traditions of Tiwanaku,
for example, were quite dierent compared to
Wari (Conkling 1991, Isbell & Korpisaari 2015).
Nevertheless, both states had a common religious
cult and ceramic iconography. Aer all, we use
theoretical concepts as tools of analysis, and if
any concept used appears to be contradictory
or useless we will abandon it. In fact, almost the
same seems to have happened to the chronological
concepts of “Formative Period” and “Polychrome
Horizon”. As Neves (2007) once wrote, in the
Amazonian context we may speak about “the
Formative that never ended” (Neves 2007). Indeed,
we may argue that if only one phase dominates
an entire ceramic period it is not a very good tool
for analysis. e same may be said concerning
the concept of Polychrome Horizon, and even on
the technical-stylistic & long-lasting concept of
Polychrome Tradition. If the Polychrome Horizon
lasted more than 3,000 years and never ended, or
if the Polychrome Tradition included two or more
totally dierent traditions there is no sense to use
them as before. is is why some archaeologists
working in Amazonia have currently started to
use the concept of Polychrome Tradition only for
the chronologically later tradition related to Tupi-
Guarani language groups and their expansion.
Many other polychrome traditions possibly related
to Arawakan (e.g. Pocó-Açutuba, Saladoide) or
other expansion/adaptation processes were now
le out from the denition (see Neves et al. 2014).
is is somewhat confusing and makes it dicult
to use the concept of Polychrome Tradition in
connection with Tequinho polychrome poery. It
is contemporary with the Pocó-Açutuba Tradition/
Phase, and has few similarities with it – supposing
that there were some contacts. Nevertheless,
even though the Tequinho sub-tradition with its´
polychrome poery seems to be older than the
newly dated Jatuarana sub–tradition (AD 700-
1550) directly related to the Tupi-Guarani and
so called Amazonian Polychrome Tradition in
the Upper Madeira,Tequinho poery shows even
more similarities with Jatuarana than with the
Pocó-Açutuba Tradition (see e.g. Almeida 2013).
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Thus, to avoid more confusion with
terminology, I will return, as Denise Schaan did,
to the older horizon concept, but now dividing
it into at least two chronological periods: Early
Amazonian Polychrome Horizon and Late
Amazonian Polychrome Horizon. The Early
Amazonian Polychrome Horizon corresponds
tentatively to the years ca. 300 BC-AD 300/500,
when polychrome poeries were produced in the
Central Amazon, the Lower Amazon, Acre, the
Upper Madeira, the Venezuelan Orinoco, Guyana,
and possibly during its nal phase in Bolivian
Mojos (see e.g. Dougherty & Calandra 1981-1982,
Jaimes Betancourt 2012, Plew 2005, Prümers 2014,
Prümers & Jaimes Betancourt 2014), and in the
Island of Marajó (see e.g. Roosevelt 2013, Schaan
2012). According to Lathrap et al. (1985:61) and
Myers (1988:60), the rst polychrome poery also
appeared in the Ucayali during the Yarinacocha
phase, ca. 100 BC. e Late Amazonian Polychrome
Horizon corresponds to the great second wave of
the expansion of polychrome poery starting
possibly from the Upper Madeira or from the Island
of Marajó ca. AD 900 onward continuing up to
Amapá and French Guyana (Rostain 2011), the Rio
Negro, to the Middle Solimões River (Gomes 2011)
and the Ucayali, the Napo (Arroyo-Kalin & Rivas
Panduro 2016) and Colombian Araracuara (Herrera
et al. 1982) before the European colonialism that
interfered in the process from ca. 1550 onward.
During the Initial (or Formative) Polychrome
Period (ca. 1500 BC-300 BC) painted polychrome
poeries were produced, at least, in the Upper
Madeira, the Venezuelan Orinoco and Guyana,
and during the Intermediate Polychrome Period
(ca. AD 300/500-900) painted polychrome poeries
were produced, at least, in the Island of Marajó as
well as in Mojos (Bolivia), Orinoco, and possibly
in Acre and in the Upper Madeira.
Initial (or Formative)
Polychrome Period
ca. 1500 BC-300 BC
Early Polychrome
Horizon
ca. 300 BC-AD 300/500
Intermediate Polychrome
Period
ca. AD 300/500- 900
Later Polychrome
Horizon
ca. AD 900- 1550
Figure 1 - Chart of early and late polychrome horizons
in Greater Amazonia.
Finally, it is important to clarify that this model
presents the spread of two greater Horizon waves
of polychrome poery as chronological markers
in a Greater Amazonia. However, according to our
current knowledge, the rst polychrome poery
was produced in the Upper Madeira a thousand
years earlier before this technical innovation
started to spread relatively rapidly over a broad
area forming the Early Polychrome Horizon.
Polychrome poery disappeared from many areas
and the Early Horizon ended. Nevertheless, in
some areas such as Marajó Island polychrome
187
Martti Pärssinen
Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
poery was in full use during the Intermediate
Polychrome Period before it formed part of the
multicultural Late Polychrome Horizon (see
Roosevelt 2013, Schaan 2012). Similarly in the
Andes, the Tiwanaku ceramic tradition developed
during the Early Intermediate Period, formed
part of the multicultural Middle Horizon, and
disappeared in the Late Intermediate period ca.
AD 1200 (see e.g. Korpisaari & Pärssinen 2011,
Pärssinen 2015a).
2 GEOGLYPH-TYPE EARTHWORKS, AQUIRY
CIVILIZATION, AND THE QUINARI CERAMIC
TRADITION IN EASTERN ACRE
e archaeological site of Tequinho is located
in a terra rme drained by the upper tributaries
of the Purus River – the Acre (originally Aquiry)
and the Iquiri Rivers – situated near the Acre
state capital Rio Branco (Figure 2). An ancient
multicultural civilization, earlier named Aquiry,
constructed geometric earthworks and built a
system of roads in this very same area. Today we
make a distinction between (1.) geoglyphs that are
ditched embankments where ditches used to be
dug inside of the embankment, and (2.) earthworks
with embankments only (without a ditch). We also
have a separate category for (3.) geometrically
arranged mound selements that are younger
than geoglyphs (Saunaluoma et al. 2018). Today
Amazonian geoglyphs, geometrically paerned
ditched embankments, have raised a lot of general
interest. Acrean geoglyphs have been put on
Unesco’s tentative list of world patrimony sites.
In total, more than 500 geoglyph sites have been
detected so far in the area bigger than Switzerland
occupying ca. 60,000 square kilometers (see
also, Pärssinen & Ranzi 2020, Rampanelli 2016).
Furthermore, we estimate that in the future the
area will be doubled or even tripled in size.
At the moment, in eastern Acre the oldest
ceramic stratum is dated from a big elliptical
geoglyph called Ramal do Capatará excavated by
Schaan (Figure 2). It gave the date 1631-1430 cal BC
(Beta-288234; see Saunaluoma & Schaan 2012:7-8).
Somewhat earlier we had obtained a date 1211-942
cal BC from a stratum also containing ceramics
inside of the Severino Calazans archaeological site
(Ua-37238, see Schaan et al. 2012:136). e last
mentioned date may be related to the beginning
of earthworks constructions in Severino Calazans
since quite a similar radiocarbon date, 2920 – 2730
BP, has also been obtained from the Los Angeles
site (Dias 2006), and a thermoluminescence date
2555 ± 174 BP from Xipamanu I site (Bellido et
al. 2007). Nevertheless, these early dates have a
context problem: many earthworks have been
established on sites with earlier human activities
(Pärssinen et al. 2020a). us, so far our earliest
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secure carbon dates related to actual earthworks
constructions come from four samples – associated
with an embankment structure with ceramics, and
excavated inside of the current ditched enclosure
(pit 20A, levels 120-156 cm) of Severino Calazans
(Pärssinen et al. 2020a). ese give the following
dates: 730-376 cal BC (Ua-59600), 735-386 cal BC
(Ua-59602), 741-389 cal BC (Ua-59601), and 751-
402 cal BC (Ua-59499) conrming, at least, that the
Xipamanu I date 2555 BP is correct. In every case,
the peak of geoglyph construction was between
300/250 BC and AD 900/950, and some of them
were still used until ca. AD 1300 (Schaan et al.
2012, Saunaluoma et al. 2018).
All known Amazonian geoglyph-type
earthworks belong to the ceramic period that was
called locally the inari Tradition, established
by Dias (2006) and Dias & Carvalho (1988), and
summarized by Nícoli (2000) and Schaan (2008).
Nevertheless, only a relative few shards have been
found on ordinary geoglyph sites. In every case,
the inari Tradition has been divided into ve
phases, denominated inari, Iquiri, Iaco, Xapuri
and Jacuru, of which only two correspond quite
directly to earthwork sites: inari, Iquiri and to
some extent also Iaco. According to the original
denition, these phases have a great variety of
forms, but typically globular and cylinder forms
are combined. Another common feature is the use
of caraipé in ceramic paste as the most common
Figure 2 - Map of a part of the Upper Purus River Basin showing the current area of the known geoglyphs and the
Tequinho, Ramal do Capatará, Severino Calazans and Fazenda Atlântica archaeological sites (grey dots) discussed
in the text. Drawing by Sanna Saunaluoma, Mari Pärssinen & Wesa Perola.
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Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
tempering material, while red slip and red on white
painted lines are used as predominant decorative
techniques. Incised potsherds are said to appear
in lesser amounts while polychrome painting is
not mentioned at all.
Unfortunately, when Dias and Carvalho
established these phases they mainly observed
regional dierences; they never established any
chronological frameworks for their ve phases.
us, they are quite useless when chronological
markers are sought. However, aer excavating
geoglyph sites in Acre for more than ten years
we may, on the one hand, accept that the
use of caraipé in ceramic paste is, indeed, a
common feature for most of the sites. On the
other hand, we must note that the diagnostic
poery combining globular and cylinder forms
is extremely rare in the sites we excavated. e
form may have been common in funeral sites,
but from ceremonial geoglyph sites we have
found only a few expressions of this form. Incised
shards also appear to be even more common
than painted shards, and nally, polychrome
poery seems to be equally common as bi-
chrome. us, the Aquiry civilization should
be placed on maps describing the distribution of
Amazonian Polychrome Horizons, and in general,
as Saunaluoma (2016) puts it, we should classify
Acrean precolonial ceramics characteristics more
rmly, taking into account not only the sub-
region but also the context (ceremonial, funeral,
and domestic) and chronology.
3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS IN
TEQUINHO
As mentioned earlier, most known geoglyph
sites do not contain many ceramics. A clear
exception is the Tequinho site, studied in 2012-
2014. e Tequinho geoglyph site covers an area
of approximately 15 hectares, consisting of a
ditched enclosure with three concentric ditches
and adjacent embankments, as well as a structure
which currently forms a three-sided square
(U-form) with two concentric ditches. Originally
it may have been question of a square where
the eastern ditch had fallen down. Additional
embankments can also be seen inside and outside
of the main enclosure (Figures 3-4). Roads radiate
from the largest enclosure in the four cardinal
directions, and some other direct roads connect
the two ditched enclosures (Pärssinen et al.
2021, Virtanen & Saunaluoma 2017). During the
mentioned years, 18 test pits and a 24-meter-long
trench were excavated in Tequinho. Because the
interior open square of the main structure seems to
have been cleared of all waste aer each ceremony,
the archaeological ndings concentrated on the
small mounds, embankments and ditches.
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Figure 3 - Plan of the Tequinho site showing the location of the test pits and a detailed structure of Trench 9L-F
discussed in the text.
Drawing by Mari Pärssinen.
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Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
e rst eight pits were excavated in 2012 and
2013 as part of familiarization courses for local
school children and university students under
the direction of Dr. Denise Schaan and Dr. Sanna
Saunaluoma. e results of these preliminary
excavations are not included in this article.
Nevertheless, one of the Tequinho test pits (Pit
9A) was excavated into an articial mound, of
ca. 2.2 meters height and ca. 30 meters diameter,
situated on the western side of the main avenue
leading to the site. Aer the initial pit 9A was
created in the center of the mound, we continued
Figure 4 - Aerial photograph of Tequinho at the time of excavations, in 2013. Photograph by Mari Pärssinen.
excavating in a west–east direction a 24-meter-
long trench 9A-L into the mound (Figures 3,
5-7). In the rst 40 cm below the surface of pits
9I, 9H and 9G we found a few iron and plastic
objects indicating quite recent activities, but
otherwise the trench was practically undisturbed.
e shards found in the mound are still under
comprehensive analysis. In this article I will
concentrate on the pre-colonial polychrome
poery found from this particular 24-meter-long
trench 9L-F well below the somewhat disturbed
uppermost stratum.
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Figure 5 – e northern prole of Pits 9A, B, C, D, E, F and the location of six C14 samples listed in Table 1.
Figure 6 - e northern prole of Pits 9I, H, G and the location of ve C14 samples listed in Table 1. e rst 40 cm
of the uppermost stratum contained a few recent objects and hence was partially mixed with pre-colonial ceramics.
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4 DATING OF THE EXCAVATED MOUND IN
TEQUINHO
Twelve samples from Trench 9L-F at Tequinho
were radiocarbon dated (Table 1). Charcoal from
secure contexts was collected for radiocarbon dating,
and these samples were analyzed in the Ångström
Laboratory of the University of Uppsala. All calibrations
have been made by the OxCal v4.3 program, using the
Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric SHCal13 curve
(Bronk Ramsey 2009, 2017).
e oldest point appeared to be an earlier
small mound (Figure 5), which yielded the date
Figure 7 - e northern prole
of Pits 9L, K, J and the location
of one C14 sample listed in
Table 1.
2864 – 2481cal BC (Ua-48320), indicating a much
older occupational period at the site. Much later,
however, a depression was made over this older
mound that contained Brazil nut shells (Pärssinen
et al. 2021). e oldest archaeological stratum
(9D, at a level of 120 cm below the surface) of the
newer mound yielded a date of 63 cal BC-124 cal
AD (Ua-48319). Aer this date, the mound had
been extended towards the west. From there, the
latest date derives from pit 9H (160 cm below the
surface), with a date of 123-340 cal AD (Ua-48324).
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Unit Level Material 14C age BP Lab. number δ¹³C ‰ Cal. 2 sigma
Tequinho 9D 120 cm charcoal 2011 ± 43 Ua-48319 -27.2 63BC-124AD
Tequinho 9C 90 cm charcoal 4120 ± 42 Ua-48320 -24.7 2864-2481BC
Tequinho 9A 185 cm charcoal 1964 ± 40 Ua-48321 -28.0 46BC-204AD
Tequinho 9A 160 cm charcoal 1956 ± 34 Ua-48329 -26.8 39BC-204AD
Tequinho 9A 130 cm charcoal 1963 ± 39 Ua-48322 -27.8 46BC-204AD
Tequinho 9A 100 cm charcoal 1879 ± 39 Ua-48323 -26.5 71-321AD
Tequinho 9H 160 cm charcoal 1841 ± 34 Ua-48324 -28.3 123-340AD
Tequinho 9H 110 cm charcoal 1874 ± 33 Ua-48325 -26.1 80-249AD
Tequinho 9H 55 cm charcoal 1966 ± 35 Ua-48326 -27.3 46BC-203AD
Tequinho 9I 210 cm charcoal 1968 ± 33 Ua-48327 -26.1 46BC-202AD
Tequinho 9I 150 cm charcoal 1935 ± 33 Ua-48328 -25.5 35-210AD
Tequinho 9L 70 – 80 cm charcoal 1910 ± 32 Ua-50107 -24.4 66-226AD
Tequinho 18 145 cm charcoal 1476 ± 34 Ua-50108 -27.2 553-666AD
Table 1 - C14 dates obtained from Tequinho.
Even though some 2.20 meters of soil were
accumulated in the central part of the mound, no
signicant time dierences existed between the
boom and the top of the mound. For example,
almost the same dates were recorded from 210 cm
below the surface of pit 9I (46 cal BC-202 cal AD)
as from 55 cm below the surface of the next pit
9H (46 cal BC-203 cal AD). Nevertheless, the soil
was not mixed (below 40 cm), but instead showed
a clear stratigraphy. All these indicate that the
mound was accumulated quite rapidly over the
span of a few generations. As a result, we decided
to combine three similar vertically sampled dates
from the center of the mound (pit 9A 100, 130 and
185 cm below the surface; samples Ua-48323, Ua-
48322 and Ua-48321 respectively seen in Figure 5).
Using the “combine” function of the OxCal v4.3
program, the three samples yielded dates of 62-193
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Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
cal AD with a probability of two sigma (95.4%)
(X2–Test: df=2 T=0.0 [5% 6.0]). Hence, by using
all calibrated dates, we may safely state that the
second mound was accumulated due to human
activity between 63 cal BC-340 cal AD (Pärssinen
et al. 2021), and most likely between 63 cal BC-193
cal AD or, in general, ca. 50 BC-AD 200.
From Tequinho, we have one other date derived
from test pit 18, made in a 4.8-meter-deep ditch
that was lled with soil cleaned from the central
plaza of the main geoglyph. e sample was taken
from a level 145 cm below the surface, and yielded
a calibrated date of 553-666 cal AD (Ua-50108). e
same layer contained one shard of the polychrome
poery (red and reddish brown on a light brown
surface) indicating that the polychrome tradition
continued in Tequinho during the Intermediate
Polychrome Period. However, the correct date for
all the other polychrome and non–polychrome
ceremonial ceramics presented in this article
corresponds to the years ca. 50 BC-AD 200.
5 DESCRIPTION OF TEQUINHO CERAMICS
e mound situated in the northern entrance
of the ceremonial road leading to the Tequinho
site appeared to be some kind of redistribution
point where food and beverages were deposited
and served during dierent ceremonies. Some
grinding stones, macrofossils, spindle whorls and
ca. 38,000 shards of mostly high-quality drinking
and serving vessels were found at this particular
location. All poeries were broken, and many
shards show marks of re aer they were broken.
In some cases part of the poery is black due to
re and smoke, while other shards of the very
same poery do not show any mark of re at all
(Figure 8:6). Furthermore, due to the acidity of
the soil, the original slip (engobe) of many shards
has disappeared. Equally, the typical post-cooking
paintings disappeared very easily on the white,
red, brown, yellowish or black slip or on the
plain surface. us, only rarely the entire original
painting could be detected.
Taking into account diagnostic shards of rim,
neck, body and base, more than y dierent
poery forms may be established. is conrms
the earlier supposition of a great variability of
forms related to the inari Tradition. Both
everted and inverted rims are common in the
Tequinho ware. Openings could be circular, but
also elliptical, quadrangular and irregular forms
do exist. Geometrically modeled labial anges are
quite common, but mesial anges are extremely
rare. Basic base forms are globular and plain, and
occasionally also semielliptical base forms do exist.
However, all appliques and specically modeled
body forms are extremely rare.
In the ceramic paste, the generalized use of
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caraipé temper can be conrmed. It is the most
common temper material in paste along with
grog. Furthermore, sometimes small pieces of
carbon and local conglomerate gravel are also
used as temper in the Tequinho ceramic paste. In
addition, our preliminary analysis of nine dierent
chemical components of 23 ceramic samples
demonstrates that the Tequinho ceramics are quite
homogenous and contain mostly quartz (SiO2, ca.
65%), aluminum oxide (Al2O3, ca. 24%) and iron
oxide (FeO, ca. 5%). Also potassium oxide (P2O5,
ca. 2.5%) and titanium dioxide (TiO2, ca. 1.25%)
are clearly present (Elisabeth Holmqvist-Sipilä,
personal communication in 2018).
e most typical decorative technics is incision
made either inside or outside of the rim. Punctate
decoration is rare, but does appear every now
and then, for example, together with ngernail
decoration (Figure 8:16). Vertical combing is quite
common in the neck of everted poeries (Figure
8: 15b), and one line of corrugation does appear
in anges of some everted ware (Figure 8:14).
e color of paste varies from black and grey to
brown and reddish. Orange is also a common color.
Interestingly, the color of paste may intentionally
vary between the inside and outside of the vessel.
In some cases the paste itself may be polychrome
forming layers of dierent colors. In one particular
case (a vessel with a 20 cm rim-diameter, Pit 9L,
level 90-100cm) I observed a black layer in the
center of the paste. e next internal and external
layers are gray, the third layers are orange and
the fourth layers – the nishing slip – are red on
both sides.
As in the case described above, in Tequinho
poery the surface treatment by a colored slip
(engobe) is common. For this slip, the most general
colors are red, brown, yellowish, black and white.
Sometime only one color is used to make a slip, but
also bi–color and polychrome slips are common
on the surface. In addition, an incised line between
two dierent slip colors is quite common (Figure
9: 7, 21, 25). e most common combinations are
a red and brown slip, or red/brown with a white
slip (see Figure 9: 24-25), but other combinations
do also occur (see Figure 9: 23a). Nevertheless,
most black and brown slipped poeries do not
have other decoration than incisions near either
side of the rim of the poery (see Figure 9).
e polychrome painting is sometime realized
directly on the natural surface of a vessel. For
example, shard number 26 (Figure 9) has a purple
and black painting on a polished brown surface.
Most typical, however, is a painting on a white
slip, and, in a smaller scale, a painting on a red or
yellowish slip. e colors used in the paintings are
black, red, brown, orange, yellow, and sometimes
white and purple (Figure 9). Finally, I would like
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Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
Figure 8 - Examples of non-polychrome ceremonial shards excavated in Tequinho.
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Figure 9 - Examples of polychrome shards excavated in Tequinho.
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Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
to mention that in some Tequinho poery the
eect of color is also obtained by incision. As
explained earlier, the ceramic paste may have
dierent color layers. When the poers grooved
gures deep enough into the ceramic surface, the
color of the next layer appears before the eyes
of the observer (Figure 8: 1-3). is technique is
known in Venezuelan Saladoid poery in Parmana,
especially during the Camoruco phase, starting
ca. AD 400 onward (Roosevelt 1980: 195, 216;
Roosevelt, personal communication in 2013). us,
some contacts between these two areas can be
supposed.
e variability of forms among the polychrome
poery is quite reduced in Tequinho compared to
Incised-Rim and other vessels. Typical polychrome
poery forms are presented in Figure 10. Forms
a and b are probably typical for drinking cups;
c-f are probably typical for serving vessel, and
forms g & h are typical for boles used for liquids.
From all of these forms, the most common in the
Tequinho corpus are the boles g and h and the
serving vessel d.
In the Tequinho ware, paintings are usually
realized inside of black, red or brown division
lines. Especially round, oval, curved, and rectangle
elements are common (Figure 9: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21).
Oen these are combined with staggered, serrate,
curved and direct lines (Figure 9: 9, 10, 19). Also
thin pointed or meandering lines are used to form
the totality of the iconographic messages (Figure
9: 3, 10, 19, 20).
ite typical for the composition of Tequinho
polychrome painting is the combination of a
circular paern and a rectangular paern that
has two concave sides forming sharp corners
(Figure 10: 1). The combination of these two
paerns, circular forms and sharp edges, is quite
common during the Early Polychrome Horizon.
We can nd similar paerns from the Saladoid
Tradition in Venezuela (Rouse 1992, g. 20h), the
Pocó–Açutuba Tradition in the Lower Amazon
(Hilbert & Hilbert 1980: Est.2h,i; Lima 2016, g.
6b) and from the same Pocó-Açutuba Tradition
in the Upper Madeira (Kater et al. 2020, g. 4:TE-
2141-36). is union of so and sharp paern
has many manifestations in Tequinho ceramics,
and it is equally common in Tequinho incised
vessels (Figures 8: 5, 6, 9, 15a). Another common
feature between Tequinho polychrome and incised
poeries is the motif combining a crescent and
a semicircle/ellipse (Figures 8: 4; 9: 3, 4 and 10:
2). It may be part of local iconographic tradition.
Somehow this motif reminds us of the waxing
crescent and the waning gibbous phases of the
moon in the southern hemisphere, but it could of
course be a totally dierent thing. Finally, painted
hook motifs that are sometime represented as the
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Figure 10 - e most typical forms of Tequinho polychrome poery, and two typical decorative paerns used in
paintings and incised poeries.
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head of a bird (or armadillo) with its sharp beak
(Figures 8: 11 and 9: 5-6), as well as a rounded head
of a mythological, serpent-like animal (Figures
8: 6 and 9:22) appear both in the incised and
painted ceramics of Tequinho. A quite similar
mythological serpent-like animal is known already
in Venezuelan Saladoid bi-chrome painting of the
La Gruta phase (ca. 2100-1600 BC; see Roosevelt
1980, g. 55), and in Hupa-iya iconography of the
Central and Lower Ucayali ca. 200 BC (Lathrap
1962: 985, g. 99d). Later, a similar motif appears
in the Jatuarana sub-tradition (ca. AD 700-1550)
of the Upper Madeira River (Kater 2018, g. 78),
and occurs for the second time during the Late
Polychrome Horizon in the Ucayali (Weber 1975,
g.40), the Napo (Evans & Meggers 1968: Plates 23,
45, 47, 49, 50) and even in the Araracuara of the
Columbian Amazonia (Herrera et al. 1982, gures
9-10). is mythological animal also appears on
the painted tripod poeries of Hernmarck Mound
in the Mojos of Bolivia excavated by Nordenskiöld
(1913, gures 123, 130, 131, 135; 2017: Lám XLVII).
Curiously, a similar combination of hooks as well
as a circular and rectangular paern with concave
sides that we have observed in Tequinho, also seem
to have been common in the Hernmarck Mound,
dated AD 1100-1400 (Jaimes Betancourt 2016;
Nordenskiöld 1913, 2017, passim). Even though
tripod ware is absent in Tequinho, similarities
in design patterns and motifs indicate some
continuity between Early and Late Polychrome
Horizons.
CONCLUSION
In this article I have presented basic
characteristics of the ceremonial Polychrome
poery used during the Early Polychrome Horizon,
from 50 BC to AD 200, in the geometrically paerned
archaeological site called Tequinho situated in
eastern Acre. At that time Tequinho was part of
a network that formed an earthworks-building
civilization called Aquiry. In general, the Tequinho
ceramics show aliations with ancient western
Amazonian Initial/Formative styles – including
non –Polychrome Shakimu and Hupa-iya phases
in the Ucayali (see also, Saunaluoma & Schaan
2012). Some similarities can also be found between
Tequinho poery and the Venezuelan Saladoid and
Brazilian Pocó-Açutuba Traditions. Furthermore,
ceramics resembling the widespread Amazonian
Incised-Rim/Barrancoid Tradition, or as Schaan
(2012) saw it the “Saladoid–Barrancoid Horizon,”
is also present, but at the same time, characteristic
modeled forms and generalized use of appliques
aributed to the Barrancoid Tradition, is almost
totally absent in Tequinho. Instead, corrugate
sub-tradition together with ngernail, combed and
brushed ceramics is beer represented. e earlier
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mentioned traditions Saladoid, Barrancoid and
Pocó-Açutuba, are oen associated with Arawakan
language groups (see e.g. Cruxent & Rouse 1961,
Oliver 1989, Roosevelt 1980, Schaan 2012), while
the four last-mentioned technical decorative
styles in grog tempered ceramics are regularly
associated with Tupi-Guarani Tradition (see e.g.
Alconini 2015, Brochado 1984, Lathrap et al. 1987,
Milheira 2014, Pärssinen 2003). Equally, the quite
common practice in Tequinho polychrome ware,
to alternate between white and red colors and
to divide dierently colored engobes or slips by
an incised line, is also associated with the (Late)
Polychrome Horizon and especially with its Tupi-
Guarani Tradition (see Almeida & Garcia 2008,
gure 3).
In Tequinho, the most typical Tupi-Guarani
poery forms with a conical or a semi-elliptical
base appear to be rare (compare, e.g., Megger
& Evans 1983, gure 7.19, Bonomo et al. 2014,
gure 1, Iriarte et al. 2016, gure S2). Nevertheless,
aer the Early Polychrome Horizon had ended,
the most typical form of a Tequinho polychrome
serving vessel, shallow bowls of the type d (Figure
10) is adopted in the Panoan Ucayali during the
Cumancaya phase (Myers 2002, gure 20a, 21c)
and in another direction, it appears as up–side
down in the upper part of conical Tupi-Guarani
poeries (compare, Figures 9:23a-b and 10d and
Montero et al. 2014, gure 2, Bonomo et al. 2014,
gure 1t and 1u). Furthermore, it is possible that
larger Tequinho-type boles (Figures 8:7, 9:1,
10g) were adapted in the Ucayali by the same
Panoan culture groups during the Intermediate
Polychrome Period (DeBoer 2011, gure 4.2). is
evidence strengthens the idea of Aquiry as an
independent and quite heterogeneous entity. As
a multiethnic civilization, it had keen contacts
with many societies and many linguistic groups
in the greater Amazonia.
Finally, the fact that the Aquiry civilization
ourished in eastern Acre until the beginning
of the Later Polychrome Horizon may explain
why some Tequinho poery forms and many
stylistic and technical elements were later adopted
in dierent parts of Amazonia. In another words,
the earthworking societies living in Acre seem to
have had a very long-lasting impact on the later
development of other Amazonian cultures and
civilizations.
At the moment Tequinho is the only ceremonial
geoglyph site with a good amount of well-dated
polychrome poery. is is why Tequinho can
currently be considered a type-site for regional
ceramics, and, in general, a sub-tradition of the
inari ceramic Tradition. However, in this article
we have only dealt with the ceramics found from
the mound accumulated at the northern entrance
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Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
of the main enclosure of Tequinho. Nevertheless,
the few shards found in dierent test pits in the
same site, including one polychrome shard, do
not dier greatly from those shards excavated
from the trench 9LKJIHGABCDEF. us, we may
cautiously say, at least as a hypothesis, that the
Tequinho sub-tradition continued until AD 650
based on the radiocarbon date 553-666 cal AD
obtained from test pit 18. It is, however, more
dicult to determine when the sub-tradition of
Tequinho began.
It is clear that all the basic characteristics of the
Tequinho sub-tradition were already established
when the Tequinho site was inaugurated for
ceremonial use around BC 50. At the time when
the three ditches of the main Tequinho geoglyph
were originally excavated, dierent earthworks
had already been built over a period of about
500 years. Unfortunately, only extremely rarely
has any polychrome painting been conserved
for our millennium. So far, the only published
example of Acrean polychrome poery outside
Tequinho comes from the Fazenda Atlântica site,
excavated by Saunaluoma (2012). She found there
a carinated bowl decorated by incision, and two
shards painted with red-and-black (or brown)
on a white slip. e bowl and two polychrome
shards were excavated from Unit 5, which gave
the radiocarbon date 127-335 cal AD (Saunaluoma
2012: Table 2). Hence, it is contemporary with
our Tequinho case.
It is important to note, nevertheless, that
general characteristics of Tequinho poery are
not very dierent compared to a somewhat older
site called Severino Calazans, situated halfway
between Tequinho and Fazenda Atlântica (see
Schaan et al. 2012, Pärssinen 2020a). Severino
Calazans ware is of a somewhat lower standard
than the ware excavated in Tequinho, and thus,
all paintings have disappeared. However, similar
shallow bowl form (type d) that was much used
in Tequinho as polychrome serving ware, was
known in Severino Calazans. e use of red,
brown, yellowish, black and white slips are also
common (including bi-chrome slips) in Severino
Calazans, as well as the use of caraipé and grog
as tempering material. Finally, incisions near the
rim of the poery form a very typical decorative
nishing. ese kinds of ceramics have been
found from the stratums dated ca. 350 cal BC
– 50 cal AD (Pärssinen et al. 2020a). us, it is
possible that similar ceramics that were used in
Tequinho were already known in eastern Acre
from 350 BC onward. Hence, as a ceramic phase,
the time frame of Tequinho ceramics, 50 BC-AD
200, may tentatively be extended from 350 BC
to AD 650. is would mean that the Aquiry
civilization was an important component related
Amazônica - Revista de Antropologia
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volume 13 (1) | 177 - 220 | 2021
to the rapid expansion of the Early Polychrome
Horizon due to its central geographical position.
Furthermore, it is even possible that the Aquiry
civilization played an important role when the
Late Polychrome Horizon started to expand from
AD 900 onward. However, at the moment we
are missing all conrmative evidence for this
chronological extension for the Polychrome
Tequinho sub-tradition, and hence further
research will be needed to establish a more
secure ceramic chronology for eastern Acre. In
every case, I consider the concept of Polychrome
Horizon an extremely useful tool for analysis
in the greater Amazonia if we split it into two
corresponding and separate chronological
periods.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Professor Denise Pahl Schaan co-directed the
research project, but passed away in March, 2018.
e project has continued in Brazil thanks to the
fundamental help of MA. Antonia Barbosa and
Dr. Alceu Ranzi. e research on pre-Columbian
geometric earthworks in the western Amazon was
funded by the Academy of Finland with decision
numbers 2567481 and 297161. In Brazil the research
was authorized by Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico
e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN) and Fundação
Nacional do Índio (FUNAI). e University of
Helsinki, Instituto Ibero-Americano da Finlândia,
Universidade Federal do Acre, Universidade Federal
do Pará, Prefeitura de Rio Branco and Governo do
Acre have also contributed to the project. I wish
to thank them all for their support.
205
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Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon 300 BC-AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
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