Belt-making traditions and identity at the site of Uraca, Majes Valley, Peru

Summary

This poster examines belt fragments recovered from the mortuary site of Uraca in the Majes Valley, Arequipa, Peru. The textiles utilized in this analysis were recovered during excavations in Sector I to the south, where interments were placed on a high bluff, and Sector II to the north, where interments were placed closer to the valley bottom. These sectors are not only defined by their geographical separation but also the variation in artifact and skeletal assemblages present between the two sectors, though presently it is not known if these variations are due to temporal or cultural differences. Through the analysis of technical attributes and design motifs of belts from both sectors, I define the tradition of belt-making that is represented at the site of Uraca and compare it to other textile traditions in the Majes Valley. These considerations are expected to provide information about whether the populations buried at this site are local or representative of people from different regions, as postulated in studies by other investigators working at Uraca. I examine the development of weaving practices in the Majes Valley and explore what they suggest about the dynamics between local groups and the Wari during the Middle Horizon.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Mortuary Assemblages from Uraca, an early Wari-era Cemetery in the Majes Valley of Arequipa, Peru   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage