Defensive Landscape and the Naturalization of Social Inequalities in Southwestern Colombia (2200–1800 BP)

Summary

The prehispanic societies from the Cauca river Valley, Colombia, have been portrayed as classical examples of the development of political complexity caused by intergroup conflict for basic resources in constrained environments. However, the existence of warfare in the region itself has not been backed by strong archaeological evidence. The re-analysis of the earth structures of the archaeological site of Malagana, in southwestern Colombia, suggest the existence of regional warfare, which provided the social context for the institutionalization of hierarchical positions. The spatial arrangement of the defensive structures in Malagana became both political and ideological strategies to mask and naturalize relationships of inequality. This was achieved by segregating and limiting the access of most of the population to public areas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20215