Cerros, Keros, Cuerpos, y Mas! 37 Years of Programa Contisuyo Research in Southern Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Legacies of Archaeologists in the Andes: Second Symposium, the Institutionalization and Internationalization of Andean Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In 1980 the Pritzker family, major shareholders in Southern Peru Copper Corporation (SPCC), contacted Michael Moseley then a Curator at the Field Museum of Natural History inquiring about establishing a research program in the Moquegua region of southern Peru. Rich in archaeological sites, little systematic research had been completed in Moquegua at that time. In 1981 with the help of Peruvian soldiers and archaeologists, including Garth Bawden, Chip Stanish, and Paul Goldstein, researchers began site survey and building the basic chronology of the region. From these early beginnings and with ongoing support from SPCC (now Southern Copper) developed Programa Contisuyo, one of the longest enduring research programs in the Andes, now in its 37th year. In addition to providing in-kind support for multiple research projects, Southern built and maintains an excellent museum with collections storage and research space. We highlight some of the transformative archaeology of the Programa including one of the largest historical archaeology projects in Peru, Inca and LIP research, the Middle Horizon Wari and Tiwanaku settlements as well as their local antecedents, and the cultures that flourished after their collapse, and the rich record of coastal settlement dating from the Late Pleistocene through the colonial period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• The Legacies of Archaeologists in the Andes: Second Symposium, the Institutionalization and Internationalization of Andean Archaeology

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23692