The Development of Economic Specialization among Prehispanic Fishermen: The case of Jahuay, Quebrada de Topará, Chincha

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Developments through Time on the South Coast of Peru: In Memory of Patrick Carmichael" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

According to colonial documents, Peruvian coastal societies were divided into economically specialized communities, some dedicated to agriculture and others to fishing. Archaeological studies have demonstrated that this economic organization predated the Inca Empire, but the origins of this system are still undefined. Since 2017, the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológico de Jahuay has led excavations at Jahuay, a littoral village that was occupied by Topará fishermen during the late Early Horizon, when permanent hierarchical societies first appeared in the Ica region. We ask whether the shift in social and political organization may have contributed to economic changes as well. Did the Topará people rely on incipient economic specialization? Our research helps elucidate an understudied period in Peru’s prehispanic economic development.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Developments through Time on the South Coast of Peru: In Memory of Patrick Carmichael   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32927