Spatial Temporalities and the Ritualized Remodeling of Chachapoya Architectural Space

Summary

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

How social space is produced in archaeological contexts is often studied as the result of the gradual accumulation of social practices. However, as a complement to these generative processes, sudden events also have radical impacts on how space is signified, expressed, and experienced. This paper addresses recent research in the Chachapoyas region of the eastern Andes. We discuss the widespread practice of periodic remodeling within Chachapoya architectural spaces as a part of socially significant ritualized events. These events include the deposition of human remains, offerings, and the termination of floor use within architecture often identified as households, in some cases possibly with the aim of de-animating powerful household objects. These practices are discussed via recent evidence from the sites of Bovéda, La Joya, and Purun Llacta de Soloco, three of the largest Chachapoya communities. The changing nature of social space at these sites is suggestive that the eventful remodeling within Chachapoya architecture was often attuned to particular cultural temporalities and notions of value.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25566