Architectural Style and Urban Organization at the Patipampa sector of Huari

Summary

Defining spatial organization was a key research question for the excavations at the Patipampa sector of the Middle Horizon (AD 500 – 1000) site of Huari in the Ayacucho valley of Peru. In the 2017 excavations we used methods designed to expose the upper portions of walls, in order to define architectural spaces and clarify organization of the sector. Some architectural spaces were excavated more completely, fully exposing walls and architectural features.

Our excavations revealed distinct architectural styles defined by differences in scale, construction materials, and construction techniques. Analysis shows clear linkages and relationships between structures with distinct architectural styles that are maintained across time. Differences in construction materials and techniques are frequently understood to indicate distinctions in the use and purpose of buildings, and differences in who could use those buildings. Our findings at Huari challenge these assumptions, showing that finely constructed buildings and spaces with distinct architectural features were at times integrated with more quotidian architecture.

This paper will define the architectural styles at Patipampa, demonstrate how buildings with distinct architectural styles are related to one another, and explore what these findings can tell us about the everyday life of the early urban inhabitants of Huari.

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): 22187