Crafting Collaborations: Reflections on Collaborative Archaeology with the Community of Huancas (Amazonas, Peru)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Arqueología colaborativa en los Andes: Casos de estudios y reflexiones" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In 2012, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture designated pottery from the town of Huancas (Amazonas, Peru) as Cultural Patrimony, celebrating the longevity of this crafting tradition that potters have maintained since the Late Horizon period (ca. 1470–1535). Due to the rise of tourism in Amazonas, interest in local archaeological sites has grown. In 2022, together with community members, local researchers, and students, I conducted archaeological fieldwork at seven sites in Huancas. This project was designed as a collaborative one, centering the interest of the Huancas community to learn more about these sites and better manage tourism. In this paper, I reflect on conducting collaborative work as an early career scholar and the challenges faced, particularly when a nation’s history with Indigeneity complicates the notion of descendant communities (Herrera 2011). Collaborative archaeology requires time and trust, which is difficult for graduate students working with limited time and resources. However, there is no singular collaborative approach and projects can adjust based on self-reflection and socio-political context (Cipolla et al. 2019; Colwell-Chanthaphonh and Ferguson 2008; Wylie 2019). Through this case study of collaborative work in Latin America, I consider how early career scholars developing creative solutions have much to offer this discourse.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Arqueología colaborativa en los Andes: Casos de estudios y reflexiones   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39406.0