Untangling Wari Colonization, Trade, and Administration in Coastal Arequipa from the Site of Quilcapampa, Siguas Valley.

Summary

The seventh century AD marked a period of great social change in the coastal valleys of Arequipa, Perú. During this time, an increase in violence, population growth, and social complexity was met with foreign influences from the Wari state of the central highlands. While scholars have long asserted that Arequipa fell under Wari control at this time, the evidence for direct state control has never been demonstrated conclusively in the region. This presentation reports the results of our excavations at the monumental center of Quilcapampa, located in the Siguas Valley. Quilcapampa had long been called a Wari administrative settlement, but until now has remained poorly understood. Our excavations reveal that the site began, and was briefly occupied, in the mid-ninth century. Moreover, architectural patterns and material culture demonstrate that individuals who built and occupied this site used a combination of Wari and local styles and practices. The data suggests that Wari settlers may have built Quilcapampa, and founded on and oriented around a major coastal transportation route. However, it still remains unclear based on the recovered data what administrative function and role the state played–if any– in the functioning of the settlement and in the region in general.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• A.D. 600 Cultural and Environmental Transformation in Ancient Peru   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16472