Nasca-Wari Interaction and Imperial Expansion during the Middle Horizon: Excavations at Zorropata, Nasca, Peru

Summary

The Middle Horizon (AD 750-1000) was a tumultuous time in the Nasca region, located on the south coast of Peru. The highland-centered Wari Empire established at least three colonies (Pacheco, Pataraya, and Inkawasi) in the Nasca Valley and its tributaries (Edwards 2010). Local settlement patterns changed drastically in response (Edwards 2010, Schreiber 1999). The number and size of habitation sites in the Nasca and Taruga Valleys decreased but increased in the Las Trancas Valley, away from and perhaps in contention with the Wari. Sites in these valleys were established in more defensible locations. In addition, sites in Las Trancas formed a site hierarchy with Huaca del Loro as an administrative and ceremonial center, a second-tier center (Zorropata), and smaller settlements (Schreiber 2005). Archaeological fieldwork conducted at Zorropata in 2014 aimed to investigate the relationship between Nasca and Wari peoples. In particular, research aimed to elucidate the potential impact of Wari encroachment on various Nasca economic, social, political, and quotidian practices. This paper presents new data, the results of AMS assays from carbon samples, and some preliminary interpretations stemming from excavations at Zorropata.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

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