Post-Collapse Change and Continuity in Bolivia’s Desaguadero Valley

Summary

There is often a discontinuity between studies of ‘collapse’ and studies of post-collapse periods. This can lead to the periods following collapse being defined by a "lack" of what came before. In the southern Titicaca basin, for example, the period following the collapse of the Tiwanaku state has been defined by a lack of monumental construction, raised fields, large-scale feasting events, or Tiwanaku-style iconography. Nevertheless, recent explorations have demonstrated that while "collapse" is generally understood as a relatively "rapid" sociopolitical shift, it does not necessarily lead to abrupt discontinuity in the lives of individuals or communities, especially in non-elite circles. In Bolivia’s Desaguadero Valley, for example, significant continuities are noted in utilitarian ceramics and everyday domestic architecture at the same time that there were major changes in ceremonial patterns and larger-scale settlement organization. This paper interrogates the multifaceted nature of these changes and continuities through the process of collapse and subsequent post-collapse reorganization in the Desaguadero Valley.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Regional Perspectives on the Tiwanaku Collapse: "Post-expansive" chronology, cultural transformation and ethnogenesis in the south central Andes

Keywords

Spatial Coverage