The Chaupiyunga as an Eco-cultural Frontier: Inter-zonal exchange and negotiation in the Huanangue Valley during the Late Intermediate Period (1100-1470 CE)

Summary

As a region of high ethnic and ecological diversity, the ancient Andes can be viewed as a collection of ecological, cultural, and political frontiers. Studying the processes that occurred along these frontiers is vital to understanding the indigenous political and economic systems that developed throughout the region prior to Spanish contact. As a transitional zone between the coast and the highlands, as well as a geographic bottleneck through which people and goods had to pass, the chaupiyunga was a key ecological and cultural frontier where inter-group and inter-regional relationships were negotiated. Here, I use the Huanangue Valley as a case study in ancient chaupiyunga frontier processes. Specifically, I focus on the Chancay site of Cerro Blanco and its role as a gateway settlement during the Late Intermediate Period (1100-1470 CE). I argue that Cerro Blanco acted as a node through which inter-zonal trade passed as well as a locus where Chancay, Atavillos, and chaupiyungino (a local Huanangue Valley group) relationships were negotiated and that these relationships had the potential to profoundly impact the socio-political organization of said communities. By doing so, this paper demonstrates the impact that frontier processes had on the socio-political development in the ancient Andes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

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