Interregional Interaction and Sociopolitical Change on the Peruvian Far North Coast

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With National Science Foundation support, Mr. Jorge Montenegro will conduct one year dissertation research to define the sociopolitical organization of local polities and the nature and dynamics of interregional interaction in the Upper Piura Valley on the Peruvian Far North Coast. Previous archaeological studies of culture contact have often emphasized the strategies and perceptions of dominant external "core" polities while ignoring those of the subjects or "peripheries". There is evidence of powerful Mochica (AD 300-750) and the Middle Sican (AD 900-1100) "core" polities, from coastal valleys to the south, in the study area. Yet the significance of this evidence and the nature of interaction between the local and these foreign polities are poorly understood. For example, was this interaction coercive or peaceful and/or negotiated? Was it politically or economically motivated? Was it continuous or discontinuous in time and space? Did it involve only a specific social segment or a broader segment? What led to their interaction? These research questions will be answered through a characterization of the local polities as reflected in their sociopolitical and economic structure, and testing of different scenarios and their expected material evidence. The first possibility is that interaction was coercive; a second scenario considers interaction as a more peaceful and/or negotiated process; and the last scenario is a potential situation of physical coexistence without much or any interaction. Settlement/land use pattern survey, test excavations, and pottery and architecture stylistic analysis are the methods proposed for data collection. Systematic surface survey will localize and determine the nature and patterns of site distribution and its surrounding environment. Aerial photographs and topographic, soil, hydrological, and vegetation maps will be used for this purpose. A total of ca. 100 sq-km is the estimated survey area. Sites thus discovered will be described, recorded, and mapped, and dimensions and locations will be measured and determined using a GPS receiver. A purposive collection of artifacts found on surface will give a good idea of the range of variation within a site's surface artifact assemblage. Finally, small test (2 x 2 or 4 x 4 m) pits will be excavated at some of the sites to collect radiocarbon samples, stratigraphic and site formation data. The data collected will be used to create a GIS database and perform spatial analysis. Laboratory analysis will be focused on a detailed observation of pottery recovered. A technological, stylistic, and morpho-functional classification and analysis will be carried out to better define the local polities' traditions and their relationship to those of foreign polities. This research is important for several reasons. It offers an excellent opportunity to study culture contact and to test and/or refine competing models of interregional interaction. It will establish a sound and necessary foundation for the planned long-term project investigating interactions between: 1) the Far North Coast and North Coast, and 2) these regions and the North Andes. Finally, this investigation will yield new information on an area that is relatively unknown archaeologically.