Interregional Exchange and Early State Formation: Settlement Survey in the Ichupalla Valley, Southern Peru

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With National Science Foundation support Dr. Charles Stanish will conduct one field season of archaeological research in the Titicaca Basin region of highland Bolivia. In this high inhospitable portion of the Andes several prehistoric societies reached state levels of social complexity and incorporated large numbers of individuals over broad regions into centralized political units. Dr. Stanish, along with many archaeologists, is interested in the causal processes. Between 200 CB and AD 400 the site of Pucara emerged as a principal center in the Titicaca Basin and for ca. 400 years dominated a large portion of this region. During the summer of 1998 Dr. Stanish and his colleagues conducted a survey and located a second large Pucara settlement, Hu-14, in a area which controls one of the few passes from the Andean highlands down into the tropical lowlands to the East. It has been suggested that in many regions of the world control over trade permits groups to obtain significant economic and political reward and this in turn leads to state development. Dr. Stanish postulates that such may be the case for Pucara. He will now survey the valleys near Hu-14 to determine if a significant Pucara presence is indicated there as well. These valleys contain the last rich agricultural lands before one descends eastwards from the Andes and it is important to know if Pucara peoples controlled this region and provisioned from it. Dr. Stanish and colleagues will conduct a regional settlement survey, locate sites and make surface collections. Crews of three-four trained archaeologists will walk 10 - 25 meters apart over the landscape. All sites will be located on topographic maps and air photographs; GPS coordinates will be taken. Detailed data will be recorded on a standardized field form. Particular emphasis will be placed on the collection and analysis of ceramics since these provide indication of period of occupation. On this basis it will be possible to reconstruct the settlement system and determine both the extent and nature of Pucara occupation.This research is important because it will provide data on a relatively unknown archaeological region. It will shed new light on the question of how complex societies arose. It will also assist in training of graduate students.