What Does the "Cruz Pata" Style Look Like?: Redefining an Enigmatic EIP Ceramic Style of the Ayacucho Valley

Summary

Dramatic culture change occurred in the Central Andes at the onset of the Middle Horizon (MH) (AD 500-1000). During this period, a state society emerged in the Ayacucho Valley and expanded across Peru. Even before the emergence of this state, however, culture contact of the Ayacucho heartland had already started with some remote regions in the late part of the Early Intermediate Period (EIP). This far-reaching contact would have gradually been intensified toward the beginning of the MH. Indeed, such cultural influence can be seen in Ayacucho ceramics during this transition. One good example is an EIP Ayacucho ceramic style known as "Cruz Pata." It has been pointed out that this particular style bears the first indication of south coast influence of the Nasca culture. Despite being important, the Cruz Pata style has been poorly defined in the literature, and it has yet to be investigated more fully so that we can better understand the arrival of Nasca influence and its ensuing impact upon the emergence of the Huari state. This paper characterizes the Cruz Pata style by examining the ceramic assemblages recovered at the site of Huari in 2017, and redefines it in relation to other Ayacucho styles.

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): 21264