Fotocopia.

Contenido: Introduction -- The use of stone, Tapia, Adobe and Ch'ampa as Basic local building materials -- Yanaoqo and its rural characteristics -- Construction technique of Corbel Vaulted structures in a rural setting -- A household cluster in use -- Taraco and its urban characteristics -- Construction technique of Corbel Vaulted in a urban setting -- Abandoned Corbel Vaulted structures -- Comparisons and distribution of Putuku and settlements -- Dispersed vs. nucleated settlements: description and interpretation -- Historic and late prehistoric background: implications for the archaeology of the region -- Settlement patterns -- Acknowledgements.

This article is an introduction to the study of a specific kind of Corbel vaulted structure known as putuku or phullu uta, and a variation of this called taklla putuku, The corbel vaulted design and the use of sod (ch'ampa) as building material employed in its construction provide an excellent alternative to the use of timber for beams in this environment where appropiate trees are absent, and allows an efficient response to the persistent and severe climatic conditions of this region. The present day distribution of these litle-known structures in the northern lake Titicaca Basin of peru includes the province of Huancane in the departament of Puno, for example along the Taraco-Huancané road where this investigation was conducted. Two settlements were selected within this area, the town of Taraco and the community of Yanaoqo, permitting comparison between the kinds of Putuku found in an urban and in a rural setting respectively. Aside from presenting a description of the different architectural attributes, tools and building materials employed in construction and the different uses given to these one-room structures, interpretations are proposed aimed at understanding.

Ingles.