Conflict, Spatial Organization and Group Identity during the Late Intermediate Period in the Bolivian Southern Altiplano

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Beyond the Round House: Spatial Logic and Settlement Organization across the Late Andean Highlands" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During the Late Intermediate Period, the Southern Altiplano region was characterized by the presence of conflict and fortified settlements. These societies have been described as having a corporate leadership, linked to a founding ancestor, which granted them privileged access to resources. Little is known about the dynamics of spatial organization of the settlements and its relation to group identity formation among these corporate groups who were in constant conflict with their neighbors. This investigation studied this relationship through a comparison of the socio-spatial organization of residential areas among villages, in terms of settlement planning, and interhousehold variability. Differences between villages’ distribution, delimitation, placement, and proximity to their dead help us understand the dynamics of group identity formation. The importance of building group identity during conflicting times is one of the key aspects to maintain social structure and integration. Settlements studied in this research were registered in a 91 km2 full coverage survey around the Yaretani Basin, north of the Uyuni Salt Lake. Data were collected through detailed architecture mapping, systematic collection of materials as well as stratigraphic excavations conducted in these settlements.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Beyond the Round House: Spatial Logic and Settlement Organization across the Late Andean Highlands   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25599