Presenters, and Titles, and Abstracts
Oral Presentations
Elizabeth Arkush (University of Virginia)
Warfare, Chronology and Causality in the Northern Titicaca
Basin.
Abstract:
Evidence is presented from the northern Titicaca Basin from a
suite of fortified, hilltop habitation sites or pukaras built
and used in the Late Intermediate Period (LIP, ca. AD 1000 –
1450). While they vary in size, intensity of use, and defensibility,
pukaras evidence a great concern for defense and were clearly
a response to elevated levels of warfare. Radiocarbon dates from
samples from occupation and wall-building events suggest that
pukaras did not become common until late in the Late Intermediate
Period, in the fourteenth century. This result challenges the
traditional assumption that warfare in the LIP resulted directly
from the collapse of the Middle Horizon polities of Wari and Tiwanaku.
Alternative explanations, including climate change, are evaluated
for the apparent escalation of warfare late in the Late Intermediate
Period. On a local scale, the shifting nature of pukara occupation
indicates cycles of defense, abandonment, reoccupation, and wall
building within a broader context of elevated hostilities. Once
in place, fortified sites altered the political landscape of the
region, enabling further warfare and the resistance of Titicaca
Basin inhabitants to their Inca conquerors.
Leo Benitez (University of Pennsylvania)
Sky and Landscape in the Formative Period Southern Titicaca
Basin: Archaeoastronomy of Three Sunken Courts.
Abstract:
This research finds similarities involving alignments to seasonal
astronomical events and to prominent mountains at the sunken courts
of Chiripa, Khonkho Wankane, and Tiwanaku in Bolivia. The similarities
indicate a common usage of visual symbols to express meaning in
these small ritual spaces. However, the meaning is not the same.
This presentation outlines the criteria in selecting points for
measurement, and discusses the evidence in favor of some alignments
as intentionally planned features of the architecture. The conclusion
will compare and contrast the visual experience of each court
and weigh the influence of alignments in the location chosen to
construct these structures.
Katie Caljean (Drew University) and Maria
Masucci (Drew University)
Weaving Tradition: An Archaeological Reconstruction of Andean
Textile Technology and Traditions in Coastal Ecuador.
Abstract:
The well-preserved collections of pre-Columbian textiles of ancient
Peru and Chile provide a rich data set for studies of ancient
weaving technology and production methods. They also elucidate
ethnicity and identity through regionally specific weaving traditions
and styles, patterns of trade and tribute, and even political
strategies. Lack of preservation of organic materials in the northern
Andean region, such as Ecuador, has resulted in a limited sample
of what was likely a rich textile tradition. Thus, textile fragments
and textile-impressed ceramics provide the only reflection of
this central element of Andean material culture. This research
focuses on analysis of textile impressions from the coastal region
of Ecuador which offer potential keys to the reconstruction of
textile technologies and traditions for this region. The results
are placed into context with previous studies conducted on textile
impressions and have been critically analyzed in comparison to
the two known collections of preserved textiles in Ecuador. The
evidence drawn from these textile-impressed ceramics has allowed
us to reconstruct regionally specific thread spinning methods,
patterns of textile use inceramic manufacture, and test hypothesis
of local specialization in textile production processes.
Sofia Chacaltana (Univeristy of Illinois at
Chicago)
Inka Strategies of Control in the Southern Andes: The Role
of Camata Tampu, an Inka Waystation in the Upper Moquegua Valley
of Peru.
Abstract:
This paper looks at the control strategies used by the Inka Empire
in Colesuyo region, a territorial sub-division of the southern
Andes. I will focus on the role of Camata tampu, an Inka waystation
localized in the Upper Moquegua Valley of Southern Peru. It is
suggested here that Camata tampu, one of the most important Inka
sites of this region, in addition to providing food and storage
to state travelers and tampu personnel, supported and institutionalized
the exchange network between the altiplano polities and the upper,
middle, and lower valley local populations. In addition, I will
address the social and economic impact of Camata tampu, as an
imperial institution, on the local (Estuquiña) populations.
Katharine Meade Davis (Harvard University)
Interpreting Spaces Outside the Core: Muru Ut Pata, Tiwanaku.
Abstract:
Excavations of domestic spaces around Tiwanaku have historically
been eclipsed by investigations and descriptions of the masterfully
executed monumental lithic constructions of the core. However,
over the last twenty-five years, archaeologists have made important
contributions to the study of what lies on the immediate periphery
of the monumental core of the site. This work has led to the recognition
of a high degree of economic specialization and complexity of
domestic areas during the Tiwanaku V period (A.D. 725-1000). Recent
excavations at the site of Muru Ut Pata have uncovered an area
of domestic habitation which shows evidence of diverse economic,
ritual and ceremonial activities. A variety of animal and human
figurines, as well as hallucinogenic drug paraphernalia, found
at Muru Ut Pata suggest that the residents of households in this
area were engaged in the production of finely-crafted objects
that, it is argued here, were important in household religious
and ritual activities.
Javier Escalante (Unidad Nacional de Arqueología
de Bolivia)
Excavation of the Akapana Pyramid, the Site of Tiwanaku, Bolivia.
Blenda Femenias (University of Pittsburgh)
National Patrimony and International Prestige: The Legacy
of Paracas at the Exposición Ibero-Americana (Seville,
1929).
Abstract:
Among early-twentieth-century archaeological excavations of pre-Columbian
sites, textiles from Paracas, Peru, were unprecedented both in
amount and documentation. During this era, international expositions
abounded, featuring massive displays of objects from many nations.
These expositions, I argue, played a vital role for nations that
sent objects, not only for “first-world” host nations.
Peru, increasingly famed for diverse pre-Hispanic cultures, promoted
them through international expositions. This paper explores Peruvian
participation in the Exposición Ibero-Americana in Seville,
Spain, 1929—1930. Paracas materials sent to Seville from
Peru apparently never returned. Where are they today? What does
their absence mean for national patrimony?
Joerg Haeberli
Emergence of and Transition from Rayed Heads to Staff Gods
in the South Central Andes.
Abstract:
Early Horizion (EH) and Early Intermediate Period (EIP) tradition
examples will be described that reveal an evolution of Rayed Heads
and a transition from Rayed Heads to Staff Gods. Iconographically
the early EIP Provincial Pukara tradition differs in specific
details from type-site Pukara (late EH - early EIP) and Middle
Horizon Tiwanaku and Wari. The latter two are separated from Provincial
Pukara by approximately 200 years. Presently, among the EIP traditions
only Provincial Pukara can be a stylistic and iconographic antecedent
toTiwanaku and Wari because their derivation from late EIP Qeya
is most unlikely. There must be a missing link, a yet to be discovered
late EIP tradition somewhere from which Tiwanaku and Wari are
derived.
John Janusek (Vanderbilt University)
Recent Research at Khonkho Wankane, Bolivia: Steps toward
a Reappraisal of State Emergence in the Andean Altiplano
Abstract
Ongoing archaeological research at the site of Khonkho Wankane,
located in the Upper Rio Desaguadero basin of the Bolivian altiplano,
is shedding new light on the long phase of prehispanic cultural
development known as the Late (or Upper) Formative, 100 BC –
AD 500. In particular, this research is enhancing our understanding
of some of the characteristic social practices and regional processes
that gave rise to Tiwanaku culture after AD 500. It indicates
that the two early centers of Khonkho and Tiwanaku were intimately
connected via shared environmental circumstances, vibrant socioeconomic
relations, and an encompassing religious ideology. Yet just as
Tiwanaku became a major Middle Horizon Andean center, Khonkho
waned in size and importance. In this paper I summarize some of
the results of research that bear on Late Formative sociopolitical
dynamics and Tiwanaku’s ultimate rise to prominence.
Katherine Moore (University of Pennsylvania)
Pastoral Strategies andCamelid Breeding in Formative Bolivia.
Abstract:
Recent work on camelids genetics and the modern variability of
camelids have established a new framework for the domestication
and recent history of llamas and alpacas. Now, bones from archaeological
sites on the Taraco peninsula are examined to explore the variability
and pattern in the composition of early camelid herds from this
region. The distribution of body sizes and other physical traits
from the the ancient camelids suggests the presence of at least
one domesticated camelid, and perhaps two, that do not match the
characteristics of modern species. Inter-regional comparisons
also suggest the diversity of local decision-making and adaptive
challenges met by ancient herders across the Andes.
Thomas Pozorski (University of Texas-Pan American)
and Shelia Pozorski (University of Texas-Pan
American)
Domestic Architecture at Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke, Casma
Valley, Peru.
Abstract:
The Initial Period site of Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke in the Casma
Valley, Peru is well-known for its large number of precisely planned
monumental mound structures. However, because the site was never
significantly reoccupied after its abandonment around 1400 B.C.,
it also contains unusually well-preserved areas of domestic architecture
and associated midden. Some of this architecture and midden was
excavated by the authors during seven field seasons of investigation.
The resultant data shed light on the culture of the ancient inhabitants
of the site and on the Initial Period in general, including status
differences, functional differences, subsistence practices, evidence
of cottage industry, and burial patterns.
Alvaro Ruiz (Northern Illinois University),
Nathan Craig (The Field Museum), Winifred
Creamer (Northern Illinois University), Jonathan
Haas (Field Museum), Gerbert Asencios (Universidad
Nacional Mayor de San Marcos), Jesus Holquín
(Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) and Rebecca
Osborn (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Preliminary Results from Excavations at Caballete, a Late
Preceramic Site in the Fortaleza Valley.
Abstract:
Excavations were conducted at the site of Caballete in the Fortaleza
Valley in the summer of 2006. Caballete, with calibrated radiocarbon
dates from 3120 to 1950 B.C. consists of 6 large platform mounds
arranged in a “U” around a central plaza. 2006 excavations
focused on residential architecture in five different parts of
the site. Of particular interest was the discovery of an entire
layer of maize, with roots, stalks, ears and florescences, along
with yuca rhizomes, avocado wood and what appear to be camelid
coprolites. The presence of temporary residential occupations
was revealed in two of the excavation units. These results help
to improve knowledge about the lifeways of Late Preceramic peoples
of the Norte Chico.
Nicola Sharratt (University of Illinois, Chicago),
P. Ryan Williams (Field Museum), Maria
Cecelia Lozada (University of Chicago), Michael
Moseley (University of Florida), and Donna Nash
(University of Illinois, Chicago)
Late Tiwanaku Bioarchaeology and Iconography: Rescue Excavations
at the Tumilaca la Chimba Cemetery.
Abstract:
This paper presents data recovered during initial excavations,
in summer 2006, in the cemetery sectors of the Late Tiwanaku site,
Tumilaca la Chimba, in the Moquegua Valley of southern Peru. This
cemetery is the largest Late Tiwanaku cemetery in the Moquegua
drainage. Mortuary evidence from this site can shed light on the
community identity of the inhabitants of Tumilaca la Chimba, and
contribute to debates surrounding the extent to which a Tiwanaku
social identity was maintained in Moquegua following the collapse
of the Tiwanaku state. Despite looting at the site, initial results
suggest that the Tumilaca phase was a period of transitional social
identity. Preliminary evidence for a typology of grave architecture,
material inclusions is presented, and it is argued that continued
excavations at Tumilaca la Chimba will prove central to ongoing
interpretations of Late Tiwanaku ethnic identity.
J. Marla Toyne (Tulane University), Bernarda
Delgado Elias (Museo del Sitio Túcume), Alfredo
Narváez Vargas (Museo del Sitio Túcume),
and Natalia Guzman Requena (Museo Nacional Sicán)
Mortuary Treatment of Human Sacrificial Victims at the Templo
de la Piedra Sagrada, Túcume, Peru.
Abstract:
A growing number of important prehispanic archaeological sites
on the northern coast of Peru have evidence of human sacrifice.
At the site of Túcume we discovered almost 120 human and
61 camelid burials in a small patio area in front of the Temple
of the Sacred Stone (Templo de la Piedra Sagrada). In this paper,
I will discuss how the burial treatment and cut mark patterns
of the human burials strongly support a hypothesis of ritual sacrifice.
The results of this analysis provide physical evidence that can
be compared with patterns of Inca ritual practices described ethnohistoric
accounts. While Túcume demonstrates earlier human sacrifices,
there is evidence of an increase in scale and apparent frequency
of these rituals during the Inca occupation. These sacrifices
perhaps are frequent appeals to divine intervention in times of
increased social or environmental problems in the Late Horizon.
Tiffiny A. Tung (Vanderbilt University)
Warfare, Raids, and Ritual Violence in the Wari Empire: A
Bioarchaeological Study of Trauma among Populations from Conchopata
and the Majes valley, Peru.
Abstract:
This study presents skeletal trauma data to evaluate the role
of violence during the period of Wari imperialism. All skeletal
samples date to AD 650-800. They derive from 1) Conchopata, a
Wari heartland site in the central Peruvian Andes; 2) Beringa,
a community of commoners in the Majes valley of the southern Wari
hinterland; and 3)La Real, a high status ceremonial and mortuary
site, also in the Majes valley. Results show that cranial trauma
frequency was similar at all three sites (Conchopata=26%; Beringa=33%;
La Real=31%). This may suggest that differential positioning in
the Wari empire had little effect on exposure to violence. Sex-based
differences in cranial trauma frequency were present only at La
Real, but the patterning of wounds differed between the sexes
at all sites: females display more wounds on the posterior of
the head, while males generally show more on the anterior. These
skeletal data suggest that Wari rule may have contributed to violence
in the heartland and southern hinterland. When combined with archaeological
evidence, the data suggest that violent encounters might have
included raids, ritual battles, and other forms of physical conflict.
John W. Verano (Tulane University), Alexei
Vranich (University of Pennsylvania Museum), and Kristen
Gardella (University of Pennsylvania)
Skeletal Remains from a Unique Dedicatory Offering at Tiwanaku.
Abstract:
Human dedicatory offerings have been found in several distinct
contexts at Tiwanaku. These offerings appear to reflect rituals
associated with the dedication and abandonment of architectural
complexes at the site. In 2005, archaeologists from the Proyecto
Arqueológico Pumupunku-Akapana discovered an offering of
human and camelid remains, accompanied by elaborate polychrome
ceramics, in the monumental core of Tiwanaku, to the east of the
Kalasasaya. Excavation of the offering and analysis of the skeletal
remains was completed during the 2006 field season. This new offering
shows some similarities to previous discoveries of human skeletal
remains at the base of the Akapana, and to dedicatory offerings
in adobe compounds to the east of the pyramid. However, some of
the skeletons show blunt force and projectile wounds unlike any
previously reported from Tiwanaku. Additional characteristics
of the skeletons distinguish them from the two dominant forms
of human dedicatory offerings seen at Tiwanaku.
Robert Wittman (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Us vs. Thieves
Gregory Zaro (University of Maine-Orono)
Agricultural Landscapes Past and Present: Long-term Thinking
along the Peruvian South Coast.
Abstract.
The Peruvian south coast between the Tambo and Ilo rivers is today
a dry and desolate landscape. The lomas among the inland hills
are considerably diminished, while agriculture in the area has
been reduced to only a few surviving farmsteads. However, recent
archaeological investigations provide evidence that farming was
once a significant and viable activity along this intervalley
coastline, and the lomas provided some opportunities for both
dry farming and herding. These results suggest that contemporary
patterns of land use, resource distribution, and sustainability
are best understood when contextualized within long, historical
trajectories of landscape transformation and human-environment
dynamics.
Thomas Zoubek (Stamford Historical Society Museum)
Exploring the Cultural Identity and Relationships of Peru's
North Coast Agricultural Societies during the Initial Period (c.2100-1100
B.C.).
Abstract:
Recent work in the Viru Valley supports the notion of a Peruvian
North Coast Initial Period (2100-1100BC) area of shared cultural
identity. Similarities in a wide range of contemporaneous cultural
material among the valleys making up this zone argue for the existence
of shared religious traditions and governmental structures as
each valley coped with the same environmental constraints with
limited technology. The valleys appeared to have coexisted peacefully
and with relative harmony given the absence of military or defensive
architecture. This absence of militarism in nascent agricultural
societies supports the scenario outlined long ago by Carneiro
for Peru's circumscribed coastal valleys.
Poster Presentations
William E. Brooks (George Mason University),
Victor Piminchumo (Instituto Nacional de Cultura,
Trujillo), Hector Suarez (Instituto Nacional
de Cultura, Trujillo), John C. Jackson (U.S.
Geological Survey), and John P. McGeehin (U.S.
Geological Survey)
Mineral Pigments from Tacainamo, Chan Chan, Northern Peru.
Abstract:
Ancient Andeans also exploited mineral occurrences for pigments
in addition to the more well-known use of copper, gold, silver,
platinum, and mercury for artisanal metalwork. Five samples of
mineral pigments from a recently excavated mural at Tacainamo,
the Chimú capital of Chan Chan, northern Perú, were
analyzed by X-ray diffraction methods. Results indicate that the
Tacainamo muralists used: 1) atacamite [Cu2Cl(OH3)], a copper
halide mineral to produce green pigment; 2) azurite [Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2],
a copper carbonate for blue; 3) calcite [CaCO3], a common calcium
carbonate mineral for white; 4) cinnabar [HgS], a mercury sulfide
for red; and 5) goethite [HFeO2], an iron oxide for yellow-brown
or yellow ochre. Binder for the pigments is unknown. A calibrated
14C date on woven plant material from the site gave a 2 sigma
date of 1412-1614 AD. Sourcing the Tacainamo pigments is difficult
due to the large number of mineral occurrences in the region,
lack of a geochemical database for comparison, and destruction
of the original surface outcrop from mining. For example, Huancavelica
is the most well known cinnabar occurrence in Perú and
is one of 5 cinnabar localities listed by Petersen (1970). There
are probably many other minor cinnabar occurrences associated
with hot springs or the abundant epithermal mineral deposits in
the cordillera that may have been exploited. Similarly, there
are at least 20 atacamite localities and goethite is a ubiquitous
alteration product associated with epithermal systems throughout
the Andes.
María-Auxiliadora Cordero (University
of Pittsburgh) and Richard Scaglion (Carnegie
Museum of Natural History)
Piartal Pottery from Northern Ecuador: New Interpretations
from an Old Museum Collection.
Abstract:
The archaeology of Carchi, northern Ecuador, and Nariño,
southern Colombia, has been less studied than other ceramic complexes
of the region. Most of the ceramic artifacts in museums and collections
come from looted tombs and therefore lack precise contextual information
for interpretations beyond their value as art pieces and as limited
hints on the culture of these northern Andean societies. This
study analyzes a 1913 collection from the El Angel area in Ecuador
curated at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh,
PA. The poster contextualizes the collection and compares it with
materials housed in Ecuador. Interpretations of pottery decoration
are made. Overpainting of vessels may represent pre-burial curation
of bowls used for serving food and drink, part of local chiefly
paraphernalia.
Fredrik T. Hiebert (National Geographic Society),
Kirk Frye (Taraco Archaeological Project), Stefan
Austermühle (Asociación Mundo Azul)
Sonar Research on Potential Ancient Settlements below Current
Southern Titicaca Lake Levels in Bolivia.
Abstract:
In July 2006, the National Geographic Society sponsored an experimental
survey program on the potential of identifying archaeological
sites that are presently submerged. Challenges in identifying
submerged landscapes include lakebed sedimentation and survey
interference from modern vegetation. In this case, modified sediment
sonar was employed in the shallow waters of Lake Titicaca along
the Taraco peninsula to survey the ancient lakeshore region. This
sonar penetrated through both dense modern vegetation and as much
as three meters of sediment. In three cases, the density signals
suggest features corresponding to archeological structures similar
to adjacent excavated sites.
Calley Levine (University of Pennsylvania) and
Ariela Nurko (University of Pennsylvania)
Creating Digital Reconstructions at the Site of Tiwanaku.
Abstract:
Computer reconstructions of archaeological sites are useful in
testing hypotheses about the uses and functions of architecture?
Using AutoDesk Maya 7.0, a powerful 3D modeling and animation
program, three dimensional digital reconstructions of seven central
buildings at the site of Tiwanaku, Bolivia were created. A collection
of points taken by a laser theodolite was used to generate an
AutoCAD file. On the basis of this file, 3D models of the buildings
were created from the points. Because none of the
buildings were intact and some such as the Kalasasaya Temple had
been inaccurately restored, archaeologists were interviewed to
provide missing spatial and architectural information. Using these
digital reconstructions, archaeologists can acquire a better understanding
of the past. With a full layout of an archaeological site, they
can begin to analyze the buildings' relationship with each other
and the environment. Digital models are also useful when trying
to visualize the original structures, such as the Kerikala and
the Kantatallita, which are no longer standing. Such models can
be used to help understand any archaeological site.
Mario A. Rivera (Beloit College), Manuel
Palacios-Fest (Terra Nostra Earth Science Research),
and Daniel E. Shea (Beloit College)
Prehistoric Agriculture and the Rise of Village Life in the
Atacama: The Ramaditas Project.
Abstract:
This poster presents an overview of our current knowledge and
goals of a multidisciplinary project based on aspects related
to the prehistoric agriculture at the Ramaditas site, a formative
village site dated around 800-50 B.C. Data from the area covered
by the fields provide clues to the sequence of construction of
the hydraulic system, and considerations regarding how these societies
could become adapted to the environmental conditions by developing
an interesting managing of water control.
Alejo Rojas Leiva (Pontificia Universidad Católica
del Perú).
El Sistema Codificado de Categorización Laboral Inca.
Abstract:
Considerando el tributo como el motor en la expansión de
un imperio, su carácter laboral durante la época
Inca (1400 d.C. ca. - 1532 d.C.) y, siendo el registro de la información
en los Andes mediante quipus (soporte de cuerdas anudadas), examinamos
la naturaleza del orden en el tributo laboral Inca. En base a
tres fuentes administrativas y crónicas coloniales, presentamos
el sistema codificado de categorización laboral, en tres
contextos; Local (grupo étnico Chupaycho), Regional (sector
de la Sierra) y Estatal (Tahuantinsuyo), ordenados en siete categorías.
Asimismo, presentamos la reproducción moderna del quipu
local.
Jeffrey C. Splitstoser (Catholic University of
America) and Anne E. Tiballi (Binghamton University)
Parenthetical Notation: A New Method for Recording Spin and
Ply.
Abstract:
This poster presentation offers a new method for recording
spin and ply information in archaeological and ethnographic
textile analysis. It reviews the methods that have commonly
been used by textile scholars, and assesses their relative
ease of use and effectiveness in transmitting spin and ply
data. The merits of the new notational method, termed
Parenthetical Notation, will be demonstrated using examples
from the textile collection from Casa Vieja, a small Middle
Horizon village site in the Lower Ica Valley, Peru.
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