Viewshed and Network Analysis of Late Formative (600 BCE - 200 CE) Chit'apampa Cuzco, Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Cuzco, Peru has long been recognized as an important archaeological area in the Andes. Despite this recognition, earlier periods prior to the emergence of the Inka state remain under researched, especially regarding pre-Inka political organization. In particular, the Late Formative (600 BCE - 200 CE) is a period in which several important political transformations were hypothesized to occur. These transformations include increasing inequality, potential emergence of hereditary status positions, differing defense strategies, and the rise and fall of several important polities throughout the Cuzco region. One such area where these changes occurred is in the Chit'apampa Basin — just north of Cuzco. This poster utilizes the Hanan-Cuzco survey data as well as excavation data from a hypothesized center in Chit'apampa, Muyumoqo, to reevaluate existing hypotheses generated from the original survey data. Our work demonstrates that the site of Muyumoqo was likely more important in regional political development than previously thought and provides promising lines of research to reassess other areas of Late Formative Cuzco.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38361.0