CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AND ABSTRACTS

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Friday, February 22

7:00-10:00 pm
Welcoming Reception

der Rathskeller (The Paul Bunyan Room)
The Memorial Union
800 Langdon St.

Saturday, February 23

8:00 – 8:20 am
Registration

(For room locations please check monitors in lobby of Pyle Center, 1st floor)

8:20 – 8:30
Opening Remarks

Frank Salomon (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

8:30 – 10:10
Session 1

(20 minutes per presentation & 5 minutes for questions and answers)

1. An Online Latin American Database of Archaeology

William T. Whitehead (Ripon College)

[ABSTRACT] This paper presents the outline and scope for an Online Latin American Database of Archaeology, focused on the storage, collaboration and dissemination of information resources currently available in Latin American Archaeology. Given the diverse nature of archaeological information, this database is experimental. It allows several different access portal types: geographic, chronological, textual and material cultural. Unlike a Wiki, this database will be created, managed and maintained by Latin American archaeology scholars, professionals, and students. This helps ensure data quality and provides community control. Given the daunting scope of this project a survey of archaeological professionals accompanies this talk to assess the viability of such a database product and the willingness of the community to contribute to and maintain this effort.

2. Socio-political organization in the Norte Chico: A regional perspective through architectural analysis

Allen M. Rutherford (Northern Illinois University)

[ABSTRACT] Recent radiocarbon dating from the Norte Chico region of Peru showing contemporaneous settlement of several multiple-mound sites during the Late Archaic has led to a debate as to the complexity of socio-political organization as well as interaction between the sites in the region. Through the use of several Thiessen polygon models for Late Archaic sites in the region as well as a spatial syntax analysis of ten individual multi-mound sites, this paper will discuss the possibilities for a centralized state in the region as well as a peer-polity interaction model during the Late Archaic.

3. 2007 Excavations at Huaricanga, a Late Archaic site in the Fortaleza Valley

Jonathan Haas (The Field Museum), Winifred Creamer (Northern Illinois University), Alvaro Ruíz (Northern Illinois University), Mario Advíncula (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) , Jesús Holguín (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos), Kaelyn Dillard (University of Illinois-Chicago), Isabel Cornejo (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos), Marco López (Universidad Nacional Federico Villareal), Erin Van Bladel (University of Illinois-Chicago)

[ABSTRACT] Huaricanga is located 23 kilometers inland on the south side of the Fortaleza River. Radiocarbon dates for the site cluster between 2200 and 2800 B.C. The site consists of a single large mound complex (180 X 60 X 14 m) and secondary mounds and residential zones covering an area of 100 ha. 2007 excavations centered on three operations: Operation I, a possible circular plaza at the base of the main mound; Operation VI, a low status complex of residential architecture and associated features; Operation VII, a small mound that turned out to have a stratified sequence of Mito/Kotosh style temples.

4. The Geographic Origins of Nasca Trophy Heads through Archaeological Chemistry

Kelly J. Knudson (Center for Bioarchaeological Research, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University), Sloan Williams (University of Illinois-Chicago), Rebecca Osborn (University of Illinois at Chicago), Kathleen Forgey (University of Illinois-Chicago), Ryan Williams (The Field Museum)

[ABSTRACT] Scholars continue to debate the identity of individuals curated as trophy heads in the Nazca Valley of southern Peru (c. AD 1-750). Were the trophy heads venerated ancestors or victims of warfare-related activities? What was their role in Nasca society? We present strontium, oxygen and carbon isotope data from archaeological human tooth enamel from Nasca trophy heads from Aja, Cahuachi, Cantayo, Majoro Chico and Paredones, and from individuals buried in Nasca cemeteries at Cahuachi, Cantayo, and Majoro Chico to elucidate the geographic origins paleodiet, and ultimately, the role of trophy heads in the Nazca Valley.

MORNING BREAK (10:10 – 10:40)

10:40 – 11:55
Session 2

(20 minutes per presentation & 5 minutes for questions and answers)

1. Relations among terminal Middle Horizon (AD 750 – 1100) mortuary populations of the middle Moquegua Valley, Peru: A bioarchaeological perspective

Richard Sutter (Indiana University – Purdue University)

[ABSTRACT] Previous archaeological studies suggest that terminal Middle Horizon Tumilaca populations of the middle Moquegua Valley represent direct descendants of earlier Chen Chen-style Tiwankau colonists of the region. This study tests this idea by comparing dentally derived biodistance analyses of Tumilaca, Chen Chen-style, Tiwanaku, and other regional samples. The results indicate that the Tumilaca and Chen Chen-style mortuary samples are similar to one another suggesting that these populations might share an ancestral-descendant relationship. The phenetic relations of the Tumilaca and Chen Chen to other regional samples are also discussed.

2. Late Formative and Tiwanaku Period research on the North Coast of Chile 2005-2007

Daniel E. Shea (Beloit College) and Mario A. Rivera (Beloit College)

[ABSTRACT] After working at the Late Formative site of Ramaditas in the Huatacondo Quebrada, the authors have excavated related sites on the coast and in the succeeding period. In addition an “off the shelf” technology has been exploited to photograph the drainage and irrigation system of Ramaditas. This system could be readily exploited by almost anyone, and is relatively low budget. Some generalizations concerning irrigation and diet for the period can be made.

3. Petrographic analysis of Precolumbian ceramics from Tiwanaku, Bolivia

Christina Dykstra and Jason Yaeger (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

[[ABSTRACT] In the Late Horizon, vessel forms and decorative styles associated with the Inka Empire became ubiquitous across the Andes. Although these vessels were integral parts of Inka imperial strategies, we know little about how and where they were produced. The authors present the petrographic analysis of ceramic materials from Tiwanaku, Bolivia, spanning the Middle Horizon, LIP,and Late Horizon (Cuzco-style polychromes and Inca-Pacajes sherds). They describe fabric groups and the differences in inclusions in those groups, and discuss the data's implications for the organization of ceramic production, particularly of Cuzco-style polychromes.

LUNCH (11:55 – 1:30)

1:30 – 3:35
Session 3

(20 minutes per presentation & 5 minutes for questions and answers)

1. Pre-Inka Irrigation Canals and Settlements on the North Bank of the Rimac River

Rafael Segura Llanos (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale) and Patricia Habetler (Riva Agüero Institute, Catholic University of Peru)

[ABSTRACT] The interrelation between irrigation systems and polities has been widely discussed in the archaeology and ethnohistory of the Central Coast. Thus, it has been hypothesized that canals defined the economic basis and the political borders of curacazgos during the LIP and LH. However the interrelation between sites and canals during earlier periods as well as wide areas of the Rimac valley remains insufficiently documented. This paper discusses the relevant archaeological evidence available for the north bank of the Rimac valley dating back to the EIP. We will explore the longevity and successive transformations of canals and associated sites in the Huachipa sector.

2. The royal mummies of the Incas

Brian S. Bauer (University of Illinois at Chicago) and Antonio Coello Rodríguez (Independent Researcher; Lima, Peru)

[ABSTRACT] The fate of the mummies of the Inca kings following the Spanish conquest of Peru has been the focus of more than a century of historical and archaeological research. Several lines of evidence indicate that five of the royal mummies were deposited in the Hospital of San Andrés in Lima in 1560. In this presentation, we summarize currently known data concerning the fate of the royal Inca mummies as well as the results of a recent ground-penetrating radar survey and an archaeological testing program which we conducted on the hospital grounds.

3. Shell artifact production technology and organization on the late pre-Hispanic north coast of Peru

Izumi Shimada (Southern Illinois University/Sicán Archaeological Project), César Samillán T. (Sicán Archaeological Project), and John Bozzola (Integrated Microscopy and Graphics, Southern Illinois University)

[ABSTRACT] We present a model of the technology and organization of production of Spondylus and Conus shell artifacts on the late pre-Hispanic north coast of Peru. Pertinent data primarily derive from analysis of (1) an intact toolkit and products in various stages of manufacture that had been placed in a fortuitously salvaged burial of a Late Horizon shell worker at La Viña in the La Leche Valley, (2) a workshop excavated at the Moche V site of Pampa Grande in the Lambayeque Valley, and (3) grave goods found in Middle Sicán elite tombs. Differences and similarities with the production technologies of other crafts are also discussed.

4. The Central Role of Dualism in the Cosmovision of Late Prehistoric Costa Rica

R. Jeffrey Frost (University of Wisconsin)

[ABSTRACT] Dual organization is one of the most common social constructions in the Americas, but while well documented ethnographically throughout Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia, dualistic concepts have not figured prominently in archaeological interpretations of the region. Recent research demonstrates that many late prehistoric (AD 800-1500) sites throughout Costa Rica exhibit multiple sets of paired architectural entities including interment areas, mounds, structures and other features. These patterns are consistent with those indicative of dualistic principles exhibited in public architecture at many Andean sites. The Costa Rican patterns suggest that concepts of dualism played a larger role in pre-Columbian social and political organization than previously recognized.

5. Understanding Labor in Colonial Porco: An Archaeological and Ethnohistorical View of the Site of Ferro Ingenio

Brendan J. M. Weaver (Western Michigan University)

[ABSTRACT] Porco, Bolivia, is known as the source for silver that ornamented the Inca temple of Coricancha, and as the seat of the earliest Spanish mining operations in the Andes. The colonial silver processing site of Ferro Ingenio, on the outskirts of Porco, is comprised of domestic and industrial structures, constructed and used over multiple occupations. This investigation uses ethnohistorical and archaeological evidence collected from 2006-07 to examine labor categories, such as the yanaconas. Contributing to the field of Andean historical archaeology, the site provides a glimpse into the complex dynamics of labor and culture-contact in the sixteenth century.

AFTERNOON BREAK (3:35 – 4:00)

4:00 – 5:40
Session 4

(20 minutes per presentation & 5 minutes for questions and answers)

1. Excavations at Incahuasi, the Palace Complex of the last Inca emperor, Atahualpa, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

John E. Staller (The Field Museum)

[ABSTRACT] Excavations at Incahuasi (Z2F2-03) have demonstrated that it was an imperial installation, the palace complex of Atahualpa. The polygonal and rectangular architectural styles associated with the Baño del Inca (Inca Armay) and surrounding enclosures are described in detail. Research on the system of above ground and subterranean cut stone canals indicate that water from a nearby quebrada was channeled in and out of the baño and surrounding areas. The possible function and construction techniques used in the system of canals are outlined, and earlier evidence of Inca architecture to the south of the site is presented.

2. At the End of Empire: Local Stategies of Imperial Inca Engagement in the País Caranqui, Northern Highland Ecuador

Tamara L. Bray (Wayne State University) and Leah Minc (Oregon State University)

[ABSTRACT] The ethnic province of Caranqui in the northern highlands of Ecuador was the last region to come under Inca control prior to the Spanish invasion. The confederated chiefdoms of this province, led by the Caranqui, are said to have put up a fierce resistance to the Inca incursion. Formal occupation of the region by Inca forces thereafter is estimated at no more than 30 to 50 years. Did the Inca approach to imperialism remain “monolithic” in the face of unprecedented distances? This paper presents preliminary new data on Inca pottery production, artifact distributions, architecture, and site types from the País Caranqui aimed at furthering our understanding of the strategies and evolution of the imperial Inca agenda.

3. The 2007 field season at Palmitopamba, a Yumbo and Inca site in northwestern Ecuador

Ronald D. Lippi (University of Wisconsin at Marathon County) and Alejandra M. Gudiño (University of Missouri at Columbia)

[ABSTRACT] Northwestern Ecuador continues to reveal tantalizing information about the native tropical forest Yumbos and the invading Incas. A fourth season of excavation at the site in 2007 uncovered enigmatic stone features as well as the foundation of the first Inca masonry building found in the region. Excavation of a tumulus near the main site provided the first details of a systematically excavated elite Yumbo burial. Mention will also be made of our ongoing work with the community to support village improvement projects and the eventual opening of the archaeological site to tourists.

BUSINESS MEETING (5:40 – 6:00)
Selection of 2009 venue

DINNER (7:00 – 9:00)
Tutto Pasta Trattoria Bar & Caffe’
305 State Street
(608) 294-1000

Sunday, February 24

9:00-10:40
Session 1

(20 minutes per presentation & 5 minutes for questions and answers)

1. How Can You Earn a Living From Clay Pots? Rural Exchange Networks and Diversified Livelihood Strategies in the Peruvian Andes

Martha Bell (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

[ABSTRACT] This paper describes current pottery trade activities of the residents of the Community of San Bartolomé de los Olleros, in Piura, Peru. In this community pots are bartered for food crops within a non-monetary peasant economy distinct from the “conventional” market. Topics presented in this paper include: 1) the decision making processes surrounding exchange activities, 2) the distinct spatial patterns which result from this trade, and 3) the significance of this trade to potter livelihoods. More broadly, based on extensive interviews with potters and traders, this paper explains why such barter exchange networks continue to be an important part of rural Andean life.

2. The swallow(ed) potters: itinerant styles in the Northern Peruvian Andes

Gabriel Ramón (University of East Anglia, UK)

[ABSTRACT] Swallows are potters who seasonally travel to places away from their “home base” to practice their craft. While ethnographers in the northern Peruvian Andes have documented this practice for the last century, swallows remain virtually absent from the archaeological literature. Swallow potters visit other villages to work, and the decoration of their vessels (external style) may change to suit the requirements of their customers, while always adhering to local manufacturing techniques (technical style). Swallows represent a challenge to the discipline of Andean archaeology, which tends to base most inferences on external style and usually assumes that potters make their products at home. Six artisan varieties types identified in the Andean ethnographic record are discussed here in relation to analogous archaeological evidence.

3. Recent Research on the Northern Zone of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia: Sustainable Use of Archaeological Resources for Ethnoecotourism

José M. Capriles Flores (Washington University) and Juan Carlos SegurolaTapia (FactumX Ingenieria)

[ABSTRACT] A large development plan focused on ethnoecotourism in Lake Titicaca financed by the World Bank opens up potential threats to archaeological resources. As part of this plan, we present a preliminary evaluation of archaeological resources from the northern zone of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. By means of surface surveys and an exhaustive bibliographic revision, 115 archaeological sites were identified and geo-referenced into a GIS database. Potentially attractive sites were selected, assessed, and recommendations to mitigate possible threats forwarded. We conclude that sustainable tourism will provide important opportunities for regional economic growth and invaluable possibilities to carry out scientific research.

4. This Patrimony is Our Inheritance: International Tourism and Heritage Politics in Southern Peru

Paul Roberts (University of California—Riverside)

[ABSTRACT] International tourism to Peru’s celebrated heritage sites is frequently promoted as a cure-all for the country’s perennial challenges of poverty and underdevelopment. As a consequence, promoting tourism and encouraging local development are stated goals of local, national, and international actors, in both the private and public sectors. Yet how, exactly, to achieve these goals has been a source of constant and growing tension. Cusco, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu also serve ideological needs for Peruvian citizens, and constructing and defining “heritage” and the tourist infrastructure to exploit it is thus heavily contested terrain, a field of shifting alliances as different actors continually re-position themselves for political, economic, and ideological reasons. This paper will explore the tensions inherent in this contested terrain by comparison of two recent case studies: 1) Peru Rail’s monopolization of train service to Machu Picchu and 2) the construction of Carrilluchayoq Bridge in Santa Teresa.

BREAK (10:40 – 11:00)

11:00-11:50
Session 2

(20 minutes per presentation & 5 minutes for questions and answers)

1. “La Pelea”: Ritual Fighting and the Inti Raymi Festival in Cotacachi, Ecuador

Frank Hutchins (Spalding University)

[ABSTRACT] The indigenous Inti Raymi festivals of northern Ecuador are fundamentally about exchanges. Offerings are made to the sun deity, Inti. Food, liquor, music, and various culturally valued objects are exchanged between families and communities, and between people and those who organize the extensive rituals associated with Inti Raymi. Communities around Cotacachi also engage in ritualized fighting as each attempts to “take the plaza” in this provincial capital. Serious injuries occur every year, with some participants dying as a result. This paper reflects on my observations of the fights of 2007 and the connections they have with the dense network of exchanges that characterize Inti Raymi.

2. “Tudo Já Mudou Demais”: Caboclo Histories of Change from the Middle Rio Negro

Kent Wisniewski (U. of Wisconsin)

[ABSTRACT] Paradoxically, change is a constant theme in the lives of mixed-heritage peasants or Caboclos of the middle Rio Negro in Brazil. Of course, Caboclo lives are greatly affected by the changes and seasonal rhythms of the landscape brought on by the rising and falling of the river. However, Caboclos have also been subjected to economic and social changes produced by the waxing and waning of extractive industries and by attempts at conservation and development. In this paper I examine Caboclo ‘histories of change,’ arguing that one reason Caboclo society survives is because of a historical consciousness that highlights their changing circumstances.

CLOSING REMARKS (11:50 – 12:00)
Frank Salomon (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Poster Session Abstracts
(For room location please check monitors in lobby of Pyle Center, 1st floor)

General Submissions

• Biological Affinties of the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1200 – 1476) Chancay Mortuary Population from Marquez, Peru: A First Approximation


Christian N. McPherson and Richard C. Sutter (Indiana University – Purdue University)

[ABSTRACT] Virtually nothing is known about the biological relations of the Chancay (~AD 1200 – 1400) of the central coast of Peru. Using nonmetric dental traits, we compare the Marquez skeletal sample excavated in the 1920s by Alfred Kroeber to other central coast mortuary samples. The derived biodistances are then used to test competing models regarding the Chancay’s origins. Our results indicate the Chancay are closely related to other Middle Horizon and Late Intermediate samples of the Andes, but dramatically different from central coast Preramic samples. The implications of these results are discussed.

• Phenetic relations of the Cerro del Oro mortuary population, Cañete, Peru

Sara Miller and Richard C. Sutter (Indiana University – Purdue University)

[ABSTRACT] Cerro del Oro is an enigmatic site within the coastal valley of Cañete, Peru, occupied during both the Middle Horizon (AD 500 - 1200) and Late Intermediate period (AD 1200 -1476). Burials at the site excavated by Kroeber in the 1920s contained either a unique local style, central coast style, Wari, or Nazca style ceramics. The nature of relations between Cerro del Oro and these other cultures is poorly understood. We examine dentally derived biodistances from select Andean mortuary samples to explore Cerro del Oro's genetic relations with other nearby cultures. We discuss the implications of our results.

• Availability of Least-Cost Pathway Analysis for the Study of Inca Road System

Matsumoto, Go (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale)

[ABSTRACT] The inferred purposes of the Inca road system (e.g., relaying messages and transporting goods) indicate that minimum cost for traveling was one of the major concerns when designing the system. As previous studies indicate, however, other sociopolitical, cultural, and religious factors should have operated intertwiningly. The least-cost pathway (or corridor) analysis helps to inversely delineate non-economic factors for road construction and route selection. This study will demonstrate the availability of this analytical technique, taking the Inca road system as an example.

Special Poster Session

[SESSION TITLE] Reconstructing Culle Ethnicity from the Discarded Fragments of Daily Life: Household Archaeology at Cerro León in the Moche Valley, Peru


Session Organized by Brian Billman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Jesús Briceño Rosario (Instituto Nacional de Cultura), and Jennifer Ringberg (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

[SESSION ABSTRACT] From AD 1–200 Cerro León and a cluster of adjacent residential sites were occupied by immigrants from the adjacent highlands just prior to the formation of the Southern Moche state. Cerro León, a massive hilltop town, was the paramount center of an intrusive highland polity in the coca-growing zone in the middle Moche Valley. These immigrants probably were the ancestors of the Culle-speaking people of the highlands mentioned in historic documents. In this session we present the results of five field seasons of household excavations, surface collection, and mapping at Cerro León conducted by the MOCHE-UNC Field School in South American Archaeology.

Session Posters

• Geomatic Modeling of the Social Landscape of Cerro León


Barker Fariss (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

[ABSTRACT] From 2004–07 the MOCHE-UNC field school conducted total station and GPS mapping of the entire site of Cerro León, an area of approximately 4 km2. In addition to all visible architecture, the entire mountain of Cerro León was surveyed at 5-m contour intervals, providing data for an extremely detailed digital terrain model (DTM). With a complete architectural layout of the site and a detailed DTM of the entire mountain, the spatial model of Cerro León is the first of its kind on the north coast. This poster describes the creation of the model and illustrates its utility for analyzing the social landscape of the Cerro León polity.

• House of the Living, House of the Dead: Excavation of the Paramount Noble Residence at Cerro León

Brian Billman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Jennifer Ringberg (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), and Jesús Briceño Rosario (Instituto Nacional de Cultura – Peru)

[ABSTRACT] Analysis of room function and the spatial organization of Compound 1 at Cerro León revealed that the residence of the compound were ethnically distinct from contemporary coastal people. In addition, Compound 1 was the largest residence at Cerro León and was probably occupied by the paramount ruling family of the Cerro León polity. The compound was divided into three spheres of interaction: a private residential area consisting of patios, kitchens, and storage rooms, a mortuary area associated with communal food preparation, and an area of large terraces for public performances.

• Spatial Organization of an Intermediate Noble Residence at Cerro León

Caitlin Smith (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and Laura Burnham (University of New Mexico)

[ABSTRACT] This poster explores the spatial organization of Compound 3 at Cerro León. The compound, which was completely excavated during the 2003–07 field seasons, is one of a small number of medium-sized residential compounds located adjacent to Compound 1. Although much smaller than Compound 3, these compounds are several times larger than most residences at Cerro León. Based on the spatial organization, architecture, interior features, and artifacts, specific domestic activities conducted in rooms and patios were identified. Compound 3 provides an important example of an intermediate noble residence of immigrant highlanders in the middle Moche Valley during Early Intermediate period.

• Reconstructing Form, Function, and the Exchange of Pottery at Cerro León

Jennifer Ringberg (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

[ABSTRACT] In this poster I discuss progress made to date on the classification and analysis of pottery collections from Cerro León. During five field seasons we excavated two of the site’s largest, best-preserved residential compounds. Results indicate that more than half of the currently tallied pottery inventory originates from the sierra above the Moche and Virú Valleys while a smaller proportion consists of lower and middle valley Gallinazo wares. Material composition, form and function, and style are contextualized and compared between the assemblages of the two compounds in order to evaluate possible patterns in foodways, social status, and ethnicity.

• Ornaments and Metals from the Noble Households at Cerro León

Juliana Quist (University of New Mexico)

[ABSTRACT] In the summer of 2007 a preliminary analysis of the ornaments and metals objects from Cerro León was carried out during the MOCHE-UNC field school. Artifacts included those from the excavations of two noble compounds (Compounds 1 and 3) and the surface collection of three adjacent intermediate-sized compounds. The frequencies of ornament and metal artifacts give insight into activities conducted within rooms and patios in those compounds as well as the status of the residents. In addition, the sources of the materials utilized point to the existence of systems of regional trade in the early part of the Early Intermediate period.

• Making, Trading, and Breaking Stone Hoe Types at Cerro León

Evan Surridge (University of Calgary) and Brian Billman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

[ABSTARCT] Excavation and surface collection of two large residential compounds at Cerro León resulted in the recovery of over 1000 whole or broken stone hoe tips and over 100,000 pieces of debitage. The hoe tips are large, corner-notched bifaces, most of which have well-developed polishes on distal edges, notches, and shafts, indicating that they were hafted to foot plows or hoes. The massive quantity of debitage and hoe tips recovered indicates the compounds were important loci of hoe tip production and maintenance. This suggests that noble families at Cerro León played an important role in the production and exchange of hoe tips in the Moche Valley.

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