Can Chullpas Provide a Better Understanding of Territorial Organization during the Late Intermediate Period? New Perspectives through Pacajes and Lupacas Areas and Their Influences in the South-Central Andes

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Beyond the Ancestors: New Approaches to Andean "Open Sepulchers"" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The construction of chullpas in the south-central Andes, and more particularly in the Lake Titicaca basin, is certainly one of the major characteristics of the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1450 CE). Building on prior research and extensive surveys coupled with spatial analysis, this presentation aims to shed new light on the role of chullpas in territorial organization and identity construction during a period marked by political fragmentation. By examining the Lupacas and Pacajes territories, situated along the southern and western shores of Lake Titicaca, we illustrate the significance of these structures within the core territories of chiefdoms, as well as in their broader spheres of influence, such as the western valleys of Tacna. Our work allows us to reconsider the many forms that these structures can assume, but also to better understand the political changes that seem to occur between the Late Intermediate period and the Late Horizon (1450-1532 CE) in the peripheral valleys, illustrating the alliances and influences that occurred at the arrival of the Incas in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Beyond the Ancestors: New Approaches to Andean "Open Sepulchers"   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38481.0