Periphery and Perspective: The View from Late Prehispanic Coastal Ecuador

Summary

The small country of Ecuador is sometimes categorized as part of the Andean cultural region and sometimes included in the Intermediate Area. Located as it is next door to archaeological behemoth Peru, Ecuadorian archaeology has frequently been overshadowed by that of its neighbor. Banal oversights, such as maps that show the Inca Empire stretched across the Ecuadorian coast, serve to emphasize the subordinate position of archaeology in the country to the north. Periphery, however, depends on perspective. The central role of ancient Ecuadorian trade networks in supplying the rare materials required for ritual and social life (Spondylus shell, specifically) is often acknowledged but rarely examined. In this talk I explore the historical subordination of Ecuadorian archaeology, and outline what may be gained by centering the archaeology of coastal Ecuador within larger archaeological and anthropological discourses. Specifically, I outline the novel forms of social organization that characterized the late prehispanic Manteño tradition, and examine the potential of these forms to rethink and enrich our understanding of other societies in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20718