The Initial Period (1800--800 BC) Occupation of the Middle Lurin Valley. A Discussion on the Interactions between Early Civic-Ceremonial Centers On the Central Coast of Peru and Nearby Hamlets.

摘要

Traditionally, archaeologists assume that civic-ceremonial centers represented the center of polities with set territories. Conversely, hamlets and villages are expected to be affiliated with the nearest hamlet. Recent work has shown that the relationship between centers and nearby settlements was in fact more complex. Rather than villages and hamlets being subordinate to the nearest civic-ceremonial center, more recent scholarship has shown that villages could exert a great deal of autonomy.;A survey of the middle Lurin Valley along with excavations at five sites that dated to the Initial Period (1800 -- 800 BC) and Early Horizon (800 -- 400 BC) aimed to test this relationship. The five sites chosen for excavation were Malpaso, Anchucaya, Quebrada San Francisco, the Cemetery of Sisicaya and Chillaco. Malpaso was one of several U-shaped temples associated with the Manchay culture and it represented one of the earliest monumental constructions on the central coast of Peru.;The Initial Period and Early Horizon occupation of Malpaso can be divided in to three phases. The Rio phase (1600 -- 1250 BC) begins with the earliest constructions at Malpaso. During this phase Malpaso is the furthest inland U-shaped temple associated with the Manchay culture. As a U-shaped temple located in the middle Lurin Valley, its interactions with the lower valley and Pacific coast were facilitated through contact with other temples. During the Liza phase (1250 -- 900 BC) Malpaso underwent a number of changes. The temple was expanded and the material culture at the site changed. Ceramics are prepared using different tempers and new decorative techniques were introduced. During this period there is also evidence for greater contact with the lower Lurin Valley.;The Milagro phase (900 -- 600 BC) represented a significant change in the occupation of Malpaso and the entire Lurin Valley. Most of the U-shaped temples in the lower Lurin Valley were abandoned during this time. As a result, Malpaso had greater contact with coastal settlements, as evidenced by a significant increase in the marine resources found at the site. Malpaso also underwent changes. Modifications were made to the temple that deviated from the layout of a typical U-shaped temple.;The material collected from nearby hamlets is evidence of a complex relationship with Malpaso. Hamlets like Anchucaya and Sisicaya were most likely affiliated with Malpaso. However, variations in the material culture indicate that both sites were also likely autonomous settlements. That is to say that they were not simply settlements that were under the control of Malpaso. At Anchucaya, there is also evidence for local ritual practices.;Chillaco presents an interesting contrast to Malpaso. The residential architecture is comparable to contemporary sites in the highlands. The ceramic assemblage from Chillaco is also the most distinct of all the hamlets when compared to Malpaso. One could easily dismiss the differences between the two sites as Malpaso being a site affiliated with the coastal Manchay culture and Chillaco being a highland settlement. However, ceramics at Chillaco still do use designs that are found at Malpaso. This would suggest that while Chillaco's population was different from that of Malpaso's, Chillaco did have some affiliation with Malpaso.;This ultimately provides a better way of understanding the relationship between early civic-ceremonial centers and nearby hamlets. The reality of these relationships is more complex than a settlement is or is not affiliated with a nearby center. Hamlets can be affiliated to nearby centers without being subordinates. The relationship could be very flexible.;The case of the middle Lurin Valley shows that the relationship between early civic-ceremonial centers and nearby hamlets was complex. Civic-ceremonial centers could have multiple roles within an early complex society. U-shaped temples helped manage irrigation canals, created a network for exchange between different regions and were the sites of important rituals. However, none of this indicated that Malpaso had control of the middle Lurin Valley and instead the various hamlets were loosely related through their affiliation to the temple but otherwise largely independent.