The Mochicas under the Lambayeque Rule

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Them and Us: Transmission and Cultural Dynamism in the North of Peru between AD 250 and 950: A Vision since the Recent Northern Investigations" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Recent studies have revealed that the Lambayeque society, primarily during the Middle Sicán period (AD 900–1100), was highly stratified and multiethnic. It is now inferred that the society was governed by a federation of the Lambayeque elite lineages, whereas the non-elite groups of other cultural identities (e.g., Mochica and Gallinazo) coexisted, given a substantial degree of autonomy under the Lambayeque dominance. In order to achieve a holistic understanding of the social dynamics of this society, therefore, it is essential to integrate the perspectives of the ruling and the ruled and emphasize both inter- and intragroup variability. This presentation will focus attention on the largest ceremonial site during the time, Huacas de Sicán (conventionally known as Batán Grande Archaeological Complex) located in the middle La Leche Valley, and explore the multiethnicity of the Lambayeque society with the results of surface survey and mortuary analysis at Huaca Arena and of the morphological analysis of ceramics excavated from the Great Plaza.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Them and Us: Transmission and Cultural Dynamism in the North of Peru between AD 250 and 950: A Vision since the Recent Northern Investigations   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32534