Presented By: Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Andean Circle Event. New Perspectives on the Cuzco Region
Veronique Belisle, associate professor of anthropology, Millsaps College; R. Alan Covey, professor of anthropology, University of Texas at Austin
Register at: https://myumi.ch/pdP3y
Presentations:
State Expansion in Middle Horizon Peru: Re-Examining Wari Impact on the Local Communities of the Cusco Region, by Veronique Belisle
In the Andes, the Middle Horizon (600-1000 CE) has traditionally been interpreted as a period during which a strong Wari imperial state conquered several provinces and tightly controlled local populations. In the Cusco region of southern Peru, research conducted at large Wari installations has long guided reconstructions of Wari power, leading scholars to argue that Wari presence resulted in the loss of local autonomy and the reorganization of economic activities. In this talk, I use regional surveys and excavation data from the local center of Ak’awillay to test this model and evaluate Wari military, economic, and religious impact in Cusco. Results do not support the hypothesis of a military conquest of the region and suggest strong continuity in agricultural production, exchange networks, and ritual activities. I conclude that Wari impact in Cusco was not as strong as originally proposed and that similar to other early states worldwide, Wari influence did not penetrate very deeply into local life.
Colonial Legends and the Anthropological Reconstruction of Inca Origins, by R. Alan Covey
Spaniards collected myths of Inca origins as part of political and religious discourse on colonization. Certain versions of the story eventually became part of Peruvian national history, a legend that John Rowe challenged in the 1940s with his own historical paradigm. Rowe's historicist approach influenced the work of lo andino scholarship in archaeology and ethnohistory as research proliferated from the late 1960s onward. In recent decades, a new body of archaeological data has demonstrated the need for a new anthropological paradigm for Inca origins. The completion of horizontal excavations and regional surveys, and the introduction of new analytical techniques (radiocarbon dates, bioarchaeology, geochemical analysis) have generated multiple lines of evidence for independently reconstructing important aspects of Inca state formation and early territorial expansion. Recent and emerging research encourages new approaches to the ethnohistoric record and better engagement with data from Inca provincial regions. This talk will review the intellectual history of the discourse on Inca origins, summarize current evidence, and identify areas for future interpretation, including issues that are difficult to resolve with archaeological evidence.
Presentations:
State Expansion in Middle Horizon Peru: Re-Examining Wari Impact on the Local Communities of the Cusco Region, by Veronique Belisle
In the Andes, the Middle Horizon (600-1000 CE) has traditionally been interpreted as a period during which a strong Wari imperial state conquered several provinces and tightly controlled local populations. In the Cusco region of southern Peru, research conducted at large Wari installations has long guided reconstructions of Wari power, leading scholars to argue that Wari presence resulted in the loss of local autonomy and the reorganization of economic activities. In this talk, I use regional surveys and excavation data from the local center of Ak’awillay to test this model and evaluate Wari military, economic, and religious impact in Cusco. Results do not support the hypothesis of a military conquest of the region and suggest strong continuity in agricultural production, exchange networks, and ritual activities. I conclude that Wari impact in Cusco was not as strong as originally proposed and that similar to other early states worldwide, Wari influence did not penetrate very deeply into local life.
Colonial Legends and the Anthropological Reconstruction of Inca Origins, by R. Alan Covey
Spaniards collected myths of Inca origins as part of political and religious discourse on colonization. Certain versions of the story eventually became part of Peruvian national history, a legend that John Rowe challenged in the 1940s with his own historical paradigm. Rowe's historicist approach influenced the work of lo andino scholarship in archaeology and ethnohistory as research proliferated from the late 1960s onward. In recent decades, a new body of archaeological data has demonstrated the need for a new anthropological paradigm for Inca origins. The completion of horizontal excavations and regional surveys, and the introduction of new analytical techniques (radiocarbon dates, bioarchaeology, geochemical analysis) have generated multiple lines of evidence for independently reconstructing important aspects of Inca state formation and early territorial expansion. Recent and emerging research encourages new approaches to the ethnohistoric record and better engagement with data from Inca provincial regions. This talk will review the intellectual history of the discourse on Inca origins, summarize current evidence, and identify areas for future interpretation, including issues that are difficult to resolve with archaeological evidence.
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