General Section: The Andean Past

Our analysis characterizes the chemical composition of Sama-Cabuza ceramics from Los Batanes (Sama Valley, Tacna) and explores the possibility of long-distance ceramic exchange networks among agropastoralists during the late Terminal Middle Horizon. We report on neutron activation analysis (NAA) data of 18 Sama-Cabuza ceramic sherds conducted at MURR’s archaeometry lab.  Our results show considerable compositional variation within the sample from Los Batanes, suggesting a lack of standardization in resource procurement and technologies employed by the makers of Sama-Cabuza pottery. Additionally, two of the analyzed Sama-Cabuza-style sherds are chemically distinct from the rest of the samples, potentially indicating a non-local origin.

This lecture explores the construction and destructuration of social landscapes, at conceptual and material levels, linked to the memory and power of the elites of the Cuzco Valley during the Inka period through a study of the micro-basin of Chakan, located in the extreme northwest of the city. The social and religious implications of the landscape created by Hanan Cuzco are explored through the analysis of a colonial myth. The ritualized destructuration of the landscape is explored, based on the available archaeological record, thanks to excavations conducted at the Archaeological Complex of Chakan. The results support the presence of events of ritual abandonment of their ceremonial architecture, as material effects linked to the cosmogonic restructuration of the known world because of the Hispanic presence in the area, or as part of a more complex phenomenon of historical awareness and social change.

The Chimú capital, Chan Chan, has been looted since Colonial times. Using drone imagery, we identified areas of the southern cemetery of Chan Chan with minimal evidence of looting. Excavations revealed a mix of contexts, including a relatively undisturbed domestic context and an in-situ camelid burial. Though no undisturbed human burials were recovered, one  context contained remains of at least seven individuals and a near-complete ceramic shaped like a reed boat. We hypothesize this could represent a secondary ossuary context or a looting event that occurred prior to modern day, raising questions of placemaking and use of space over time. 

The onset of social stratification during the Archaic period in the Lake Titicaca region has been the topic of recent debate. Zooarchaeological analysis can add another line of evidence to assess status through ritual sacrifice and feasting associated with funerary practices. Excavation of the burial site of Kaillachuro (5300-3000 BP), located inthe southern Lake Titicaca Basin (Peru), yielded a faunal assemblage of 1,978 bone fragments. Although the collection is heavily burned and highly fragmented, there is still much to discern from the assemblage. Most of the identifiable remains correspond to artiodactyls, of which, camelids and cervids are the highest-value wild game in the region. Evidence of processing and/or cooking is present in the form of spiral fractures and cutmarks on ~20% of the identifiable assemblage. Camelids comprise a much higher proportion (85%) of the identified artiodactyls than cervids (15%).  These results add to previous isotopic data that reflects a human diet consisting mainly of C3 plants, with some meat. Human burial mounds associated with butchered and cooked camelid and cervid remains could be a signifier of the social capital these individuals had during their lives. 

In June 2024, we began excavations in the Cruz Moqo Sector of Sacqsaywaman, the monumental acropolis of the Inka. We have synthesized the results of our preliminary excavations with unpublished technical reports that identify remains of Killke structures throughout Saqsaywaman. We conclude that Saqsaywaman marked a relatively dense settlement and note several remarkable continuities between Killke and Inka architecture. Our initial findings add weight to the arguments that “Killke” and “Inka” did not constitute two distinct ethnicities and that pre-imperial Cusco functioned as an important urban center.

In the uplands of the Sacred Valley (Cusco), autochthonous groups constructed hilltop villages and thrived before and during consecutive Inka and Spanish colonial regimes. Studying rural built environments and construction techniques helps reconstruct non-state social organization, as well as resilience under state occupation. In Huama (Lamay District), community members have cultivated evolving architectural traditions since the pre-contact period. This poster presents the results of a collaborative, community-serving project that documented the construction of a wankar wasi (drum-shaped house). This work celebrates Huama’s history and traditional knowledge while illuminating the technological choices and relationships engaged in production practices, past and present.

Afro-Andean and indigenous relations in highland communities and workplaces shaped colonial centers and their hinterlands like Cuzco and its surrounding productive zones and transportation networks stretching across the southern Andes. These interactions began from the very beginning of the Spanish incursions into the Andes, and they continued throughout the period of European domination. Significant areas of contact and cultural synthesis emerged and changed over time. The paper delineates some of the sites and sources for exploring this aspect of Andean History and culture.