Surveillance and control in a landscape of war: An examination of mobility and fortification in the Colca Valley, Peru

Summary

Mobility is frequently examined in terms of interaction, confluence and circulation. During periods of conflict, however, roads and paths can become arenas for the negotiation and control of people, lands and resources, and thus bring into sharp relief the often tense politics of mobility. This paper draws on regional survey of Late Intermediate Period (AD 1100-1450) hilltop fortifications in the Colca Valley to examine the use of fortification to monitor and control mobility during a period of warfare. Methodologically, this paper uses two complementary methods—least cost path analysis and circuit analysis—as a measure of landscape permeability to examine the relationship between fortification placement and probable movement corridors at a regional scale. The results show how the topography of the high-altitude mountainous environment of the Colca Valley canalized possibilities for movement into several key corridors. It is clear that local groups strategically used fortifications to monitor and regulate access to the region, suggesting that control over mobility was a key component in the local defensive strategy. Using these results, I explore how surveillance and control of access to the valley shaped the local political landscape in this region during the Late Intermediate Period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• E pur si muove: Exploring Mobilities in Latin America

Keywords

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