Red bell pepper milling in the historic mill of Payogasta (Cachi, Salta).

Contributions from archaeobotany

Abstract

The Payogasta mill is a hydraulic structure that operated during the 19th and 20th centuries, supplying flour to the northern sector of the Calchaquí Valley. Documents and the oral record indicate that the main products milled included wheat and corn, in line with the boom in regional cereal production towards the end of the 1800s and the first decades of the 1900s. However, archaeobotanical analysis of one of the millstones indicates that, in addition to the aforementioned products, processing of red bell pepper (Capsicum annuum), the region's main cash crop during the second half of the 20th century, also took place. This paper presents the results obtained from the analysis of plant microvestiges, and analyzes them in the light of oral accounts of milling activity at the site. The information from these different methodological approaches allows us to conclude that, during most of the mill's operation, grains were processed, and after that, bell pepper, although in an occasional and temporarily limited manner. It also highlights the advantages of a complementary approach to understanding the dynamics of the mill, particularly with regard to its last years of activity.

ARK CAICYT: https://id.caicyt.gov.ar/ark:/s16688090/rb3k1kshw