A piece of pottery can tell them when.

A Spanish object can tell them that Europeans reached the place.

A particular type of object can sometimes tell them which Europeans, when they arrived, and what they were doing.

The sword pommel did not prove every detail of the Spanish chronicles.

It did not tell archaeologists what every person at Capachequi thought.

It did not reveal exactly how many soldiers entered the settlement.

But it provided a rare physical anchor for a historical account.