Obsidians in the Valley of the Volcanoes, Peru

This is a new archaeological study of the volcanic region in southern Peru known as 'The Valley of the Volcanoes'. In the southern part of the Republic of Peru, in the Arequipa Departament, there extends the little-known until recently Valle de los Volcanes, or the Valley of the Volcanoes. It is around 65 km long and is located between a latitude of 15°05' and 15°41' S. It thus extends in a nearly southerly direction (along 72°20' W), between the massifs of Nevado Coropuna (6425 m above sea-level (a.s.l.)) to the west, and Cordillera Shila (around 5600 m a.s.l.) to the east, and drops from the edge of Altiplano (4900-5100 m a.s.l.) in the north, to the Colca River Canyon (around 1350 m a.s.l.) in the south. Administratively, the Valley of the Volcanoes currently lies in the territories of two Peruvian provinces. The larger part belongs to the Castilla Province, while a small area of puna to the north-west of the municipality of Umachulco, situated in the upper part of the valley, is found in the Condesuyos Province (Cayarani District). There are five districts - the smallest administrative units - in the territory of the valley: Ayo, Chachas, Andahua, Chilcaymarca and Orcopampa.