Houses of Colonial Chiefly Authority: Local Elites in the Social Order of Mawchu Llacta, a Colonial Reducción Town in the Southern Highlands of Peru

Summary

As a result of the Toledan Reforms in the Viceroyalty of Peru during the late fifteenth century, new settlements known as reducciones were established to centralize indigenous populations. Such is the case of Mawchu Llacta, originally Espinar de Tute, in the Caylloma Province, Arequipa. The introduction of these sweeping reforms brought a series of major changes to the social order. External agents were established as the new bearers of power and local elites took on a secondary status. However, a dearth of archaeological data limits our understanding of the social and political character of local elites in reducciones. Excavations by the PATA project during the 2016 season inside three structures that are the likely dwellings of curacas allow us to learn more about the role played by these local authorities within their community. Initial evidence suggests that these houses served a semi-public role as gathering spaces for religious festivals and community events, though diversity in the lifeways of the three elite households is also clearly displayed. The comparative analysis of the architectural elements and cultural materials provide us with enough information to better define the principal activities of local elites and how they participated in a new colonial social order.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Archaeological Microhistory at a Planned Colonial Town in Highland Peru

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16539