ABSTRACT
One of the most interesting and rewarding aspects of archaeological research is the study and interpretation of the plant remains that have been recovered. The ultimate value of ethnobotanical information lies in its relationship to other cultural aspects, as well as to the culture history, of the region as a whole. In recent years, the explorations conducted in the Central Andean region have pointed more and more strongly to the latent importance of the area in American prehistory. The Central Andes region is divided into three natural divisions: the montaña or forested areas, the highlands and the coastal desert strip along the Pacific. The central section of the Andes possessed not only a geographical unity but a cultural one as well. The tracing of cultural characteristics in the Central Andes has been greatly facilitated by the existence of horizons, each of which is defined by one or more art styles or techniques, or by a complex of cultural elements.
