The End of Tiwanaku

Summary

This is an abstract from the "A New Horizon: Reassessing the Andean Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000) and Rethinking the Andean State" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The manner in which a polity collapses reveals a crucial facet of the relationship between the residents of the site and the surrounding population. For example, a brief, destructive end could indicate an adversarial relationship that boils over into a violent outbreak against an exploitative elite class. This presentation centers on the monuments of Tiwanaku, Bolivia (AD 500–1000), during the final active occupation of the site. Recent analysis and review of previous excavations attest to a change in construction and maintenance of the site around AD 900. The looting of previous ritual deposits corresponds to a new pattern of offerings: human and camelid remains are deposited in alluvia accumulated over previously clean ritual surfaces adjacent to the monuments. These events last about a century, after which offerings and other evidence of organized activity cease. Undamaged, the primary iconography of Tiwanaku remain standing until the postcontact period. This combination of evidence suggests an abrupt structural change at the start of the tenth century, followed by a century of diminishing interest in the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• A New Horizon: Reassessing the Andean Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000) and Rethinking the Andean State

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33311