Geometric Morphometric Perspectives on Vessel Shape Hybridity in Inka-Chimú Ceramics

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Alfareros deste Inga: Pottery Production, Distribution and Exchange in the Tawantinsuyu" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Inka conquest of the Chimú Empire on what is today the north coast of Peru brought a region with well-established economic and political practices under the rule of a highland polity that developed under distinct social and ecological conditions. Many aspects of Inka rule in Chimú territory were adapted to the existing imperial order, and this paper discusses the aesthetic articulation of Inka ceramic shapes and decoration in pottery that was produced in existing north coast workshops. Chimú-Inka pottery has long been understood as a hybrid style that combines north coast potting traditions with Inka stylistic features, although the degree of continuity and change has never been formally described. Using data from high-resolution 3D scans of Chimú, Inka, and Chimú-Inka vessels in publicly-held museum collections, we present data from a geometric morphometric analysis to consider how selected vessel categories evolved following the Inka conquest of the north coast. Quantitative evidence of continuity and change in production practices, aesthetic features, and vessel shapes reveal new perspectives on the impact of Inka rule on ceramic production, as well as the social practices in which decorated pottery communicated status and identity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Alfareros deste Inga: Pottery Production, Distribution and Exchange in the Tawantinsuyu

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25204