A Study of Social Inequality at the Andean Prehistoric Site of Ak’awillay

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

While most research on emerging inequalities in prehistoric societies has focused on the elaboration of inequality in villages and polities on the periphery of large states, less attention has been placed on settlements existing outside influential regional centers. In this paper, we present the case of the Andean Middle Horizon (600-1000 C.E.) site of Ak’awillay, one of the largest villages in the Cusco region at the time of Wari colonization. Ak’awillay presents an interesting case to study the elaboration of inequality because of its long tradition of interaction with the nearby Cusco Basin, its low incidence of violence during the Middle Horizon, and its apparent isolation from Wari colonists. In this paper, we compare two domestic groups excavated at Ak’awillay to verify the existence of an elite group and assess wealth and prestige differences between the two areas. Analysis of ceramic and obsidian densities, ceramic distribution, architecture, and burial offerings reveals minor wealth differences, suggesting that inequality was not fueled by the manufacture and exclusive circulation of sumptuary goods. However, the presence of a public building that likely held feasts points to differences in prestige that relied on the production of food and beverages.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24885