Daniel A. Contreras

How far to Conchucos? A GIS approach to assessing the implications of exotic materials at Chavin de Huantar

Daniel A. Contreras — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:14:26 PDT

Chavin de Huantar has long been recognized as a site of pan-regional importance in the first millennium BCE Central Andes. Multiple lines of evidence link the site to costa, sierra and selva. Using exotic goods for which provenance is known – for example, obsidian, cinnabar, selected ceramics and marine shell – specific areas with which Chavin interacted can be identified. These interactions are considered in the context of distinct ways of thinking about Central Andean space – a least-cost transportation surface, the Inca road network and ethno-historically reconstructed territories. I argue that explicitly modeling the implications of connecting such nodes and considering distance in multiple ways facilitates a better characterization of interregional interaction.

La nueva mirada

Andrés Bermúdez Liévano — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:11:23 PDT

Quarrying Evidence at the Quispisisa Obsidian Source, Ayacucho, Peru

Nicholas Tripcevich et al. — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:21:01 PDT

Artifacts made from Quispisisa obsidian are widely disseminated in the Peruvian Andes, but the geological source of the Quispisisa geochemical type was only recently located in southern Ayacucho. Following the positive identification of the source in 1999 by Richard Burger and colleagues, we found evidence of broad quarrying activities in unexplored portions of the source area. We describe 34 quarry pits, some as large as 80 m across, together with evidence of early-stage lithic reduction at the source. We encountered high concentrations of reduction debris associated with more extensive knapping in two localities, but our preliminary evaluation of surface evidence suggests that much of the material quarried was removed from the area as intact nodules or after minimal reduction at the source area.

Los estudios geoquímicos de la obsidiana en los Andes Centrales han demostrado que la gran mayoría de los artefactos pre- hispánicos hechos de obsidiana se produjeron utilizando materia prima de ocho fuentes, cada una de las cuales es distinta en términos de composición geoquímica. De las ocho fuentes, material de Alca, Chivay, y Quispisisa predomina en las colec- ciones de todas las épocas prehispánicas. El tipo geoquímico de obsidiana llamado Quispisisa ocupa una posición importante en la historia del Perú prehispánico, pues herramientas hechas de este material se han encontrado en muchos sitios de la costa y sierra de la parte norcentral del país. Esos sitios se caracterizan por encontrarse dispersos en un amplio marco espa- cial y temporal, pues algunos se ubican en lugares distantes de la fuente y corresponden a épocas diversas, inclusive, algu- nas de ellas tan antiguas como el Precerámico Temprano. A pesar de esa importancia evidente, hasta la fecha solo se había ubicado la fuente, y faltaba cualquier exploración y registro detallado de los afloramientos de obsidiana y de los rasgos de explotación humana de la zona. A partir del año 2007 Tripcevich y Contreras visitaron la fuente ubicada por Richard Burger y sus colegas en la zona de Huanca Sancos, Ayacucho; posteriormente en el año 2009 los autores, con el apoyo de unas cole- gas, ampliaban las investigaciones y como producto de ello han revelado que el área geográfica que abarca la fuente de obsid- iana tipo Quispisisa es mucho más extensa de lo que se había pensado. Asimismo, han logrado documentar la existencia de varios rasgos de explotación de la fuente tales como: pozos de cantera, lascas de reducción inicial de material, y caminos, los mismos que evidencian la presencia de la actividad de la cantería de obsidiana a una escala única en los Andes.

This article was published in B&W, but a color version is available here.

La cronología de Chavín de Huántar y sus implicancias para el Periodo Formativo

John W. Rick et al. — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:56:14 PST

Chavín de Huantar es uno de los sitios fundamentales para entender el Periodo Formativo en los Andes centrales. Ironicamente, a pesar de muchas decadas de investigaciones realizadas por docenas de investigadores, su cronologia es todavia debatida e insegura. Este articulo presenta una reseña de la evidencia historica para la cronologia de Chavin, enfatizando la contribucion de los fechados radiocarbonicos calibrados y, de manera breve, revisando los que están temporalmente relacionados con otros sitios formativos. Se analizan, tambien, los numerosos fechados de carbono-14 asociados a ceramica y contextos arquitectonicos conocidos en Chavin derivados de estudios recientes. De hecho, muchos fechados de Chavin y sitios relacionados concuerdan en ubicar a la ceramica negra pulida estampada, denominada janabarroide, alrededor de 800-500 a.C. (calib.). La presencia de ocupaciones anteriores y posteriores, documentadas con fechados, ayudan a confirmar este rango temporal para materiales reconocidos del "Horizonte Temprano». En contraste con algunos otros importantes sitios formativos, Chavin deja de funcionar como templo hacia 500 a.C. (calib.), aunque los esfuerzos destinados a las construcciones principales ya estaban disminuyendo, de manera notable, antes de esta epoca.

Chavin de Huantar is one of the key sites of the Formative Period in the Central Andes, with many decades of investigations by dozens of investigators, but ironically its chronology is still poorly defined and contested. This article reviews the historical evidence for Chavin chronology, emphasizing an examination of calibrated radiocarbon dates, and summarily reviewing related radiocarbon evidence from approximately contemporary sites. The more voluminous C14 evidence from recent work at Chavin is then examined, particularly focused on dates from known ceramic and architectural contexts. A large number of determinations concur, both in and outside of Chavin, in dating stamped polished blackware "janabarroid" ceramics in the range of 800-500 BC in calibrated age. Earlier and later occupations at Chavin are documented, helping confirm this time range for «Early Horizon» materials. Chavin, unlike some other important Formative sites, loses its temple function by around 500 BC calibrated, although major construction seems to have greatly decreased well before that time.

GIS: A Rising Tool in the Geoarchaeologist's Toolbox

Erin Wayman — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:27:06 PST

Researchers use GIS to see ancient landscapes, trace historical water use and preserve archaeological sites.

Google Earth Shows Clandestine Worlds

Heather Pringle — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:58:23 PDT

The Utility of Publicly-Available Satellite Imagery for Investigating Looting of Archaeological Sites in Jordan

Daniel A. Contreras et al. — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:24:17 PDT

International response to the problem of looting of archaeological sites has been hampered by the difficulty of quantifying the damage done. The scarcity of reliable information negatively impacts professional and public policy making, rendering consensus about the scale of the problem and the effectiveness of policy responses difficult to achieve. We report here on the use of publicly-available satellite imagery for quantifying the damage caused by looting of archaeological sites in Jordan. The ease of use and affordability of imagery such as that provided by Google Earth make the identification, quantification, and monitoring of archaeological site looting possible at a level previously unimagined. Our findings about looting at archaeological sites in Jordan shed light on the potential for a broader application of the method.

Shining Light on Looting: Using Google Earth to Quantify Damage and Raise Public Awareness

Daniel A. Contreras et al. — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:52:02 PDT

Huaqueros and remote sensing imagery: assessing looting damage in the Virú Valley, Peru

Daniel A. Contreras — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:23:51 PDT

This article presents a new initiative in combating looting from the air, building on previous work in Iraq and Jordan. Looted sites in the Virú Valley, Peru, are visible as pit clusters on dated versions of Google Earth. Compare these with earlier air photographs and Gordon Willey's famous survey of the 1940s, and we have a dated chronicle of looting events. This makes it possible to demonstrate that modern looting is certainly taking place and linked to an upsurge in the antiquities trade. As well as being a new instrument for managing heritage, the author shows that the looting survey offers an important research dividend: the location of cemeteries not previously systematically documented, with potential for more thorough investigation even of already looted areas.

A Mito-Style Structure at Chavín de Huántar: Dating and Implications

Daniel A. Contreras — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:34:04 PDT

Excavations west of the monumental core at Chavín de Huántar, Peru in 2005 revealed a well- preserved plastered structure with a central circular hearth, in the style of the Mito Architectural Tradition. This find challenges standard definitions of both the Mito Tradition and Chavín itself. I discuss the material remains and associated radiocarbon dates from this feature, and use these new data to re- assess Chavín’s involvement in interregional networks and its relationship to earlier ceremonial centers in the Central Andean highlands.

Excavaciones al oeste del núcleo monumental de Chavín de Huántar, Perú en 2005 expusieron una estructura enlucida con un fogón circular central, en buen estado de preservación, del estilo arquitectónico Mito. Este hallazgo permite cuestionar los conceptos existentes sobre la Tradición Mito y Chavín en sí. En este artículo discuto los restos materiales y fechados radio- carbónicos asociados a este elemento arquitectónico, y utilizo estos nuevos datos para reevaluar la participación de Chavín en redes de interacción a nivel interregional y su relación a otros centros más tempranos de la sierra de los Andes Centrales.

Reconstructing an Engineered Environment in the Central Andes: Landscape Geoarchaeology at Chavín de Huántar, Peru

Daniel A. Contreras — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:19:45 PST

Chavín de Huántar, a Formative Period ceremonial center in the Peruvian Central Andes, has been a focus of archaeological research for more than 70 years. Nevertheless, I argue, its extent and character remain incompletely understood. This is a result of a highly active geologic environment, which both influenced human–environment interactions in Chavín’s prehistory and created a substantial taphonomic challenge to archaeological interpretation. The integration of archaeological and geologic data in a site GIS has been used to reconstruct a pre-Chavín landscape and to estimate the scale of geomorphic and anthropogenic landscape change at Chavín. That reconstruction is used to examine the dynamic and reciprocal human–environment relationsits implications for both landscape and political processes at Chavín.

--Uncorrected proof--

Landscape and Environment: Insights from the Prehispanic Central Andes

Daniel A. Contreras — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:32:55 PST

Attention to human–environment relationships in the central Andes has a long history. Although the area is not a neat microcosm of the globe, wholly representative of worldwide trends in the archaeology of human–environment interactions, it has been the site of both seminal investigations in archaeology and a substantial body of recent work that investigates themes of broad archaeological relevance. Specifically, central Andean environments have been variously conceived as structuring, modified, and sacred. These approaches to some extent reflect broad trends in archaeology, while also suggesting directions in which the archaeology of human–environment interactions is moving and highlighting archaeology’s relevance to discussions of contemporary human–environment interactions. This article characterizes concepts that are key for describing central Andean environments and considers the ways in which the particular ecology of the central Andes has informed archaeological research in the region. The example of the central Andes highlights the importance of understanding environments as dynamic, considering both geomorphic and anthropogenic contributors to that dynamism, and examining both ecological (“environment”) and ideological (“landscape”) implications of archaeological landscapes.

Using Google Earth to Identify Looting Damage in Jordan

Daniel A. Contreras — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:47:04 PDT

One of the results of my work with Neil Brodie on using Google Earth to quantify looting damage has been the creation of a website dedicated to disseminating this information. Jordan was the subject of our pilot study, summarized here.

Buying, Selling, Owning the Past

Stanford University — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:49:57 PDT

Stanford Report coverage of my work with Neil Brodie on using remote sensing to quantify looting damage to archaeological sites.

Implications of the Fluvial History of the Wacheqsa River for Hydrologic Engineering and Water Use at Chavín de Huántar, Peru

Daniel A. Contreras et al. — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:40:57 PDT

Channeling of water through a variety of architectural features represents a significant engineering investment at the first millennium B.C. ceremonial center of Chavín de Huántar in the Peruvian Central Andes. The site contains extensive evidence of the manipulation of water, apparently for diverse purposes. The present configuration of the two local rivers, however, keeps available water approximately 9m below the highest level of water-bearing infrastructure in the site. Geomorphic and archaeological investigation of the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River has revealed evidence that the Chavín-era configuration of the Wacheqsa River was different. A substantially higher water level, likely the result of a local impoundment of river water caused by a landslide dam, made the provision of water for the hydrologic system within the site a more readily practical possibility. We review what is known of that system and argue that the fluvial history of the Wacheqsa River is critical to understanding this aspect of hydrologic engineering and ritual practice at Chavín. This study demonstrates the relative rapidity and archaeological relevance of landscape change in a dynamic environment.

Geomorfología y Paisaje en Chavín de Huántar

Daniel A. Contreras — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:27:45 PDT

El sitio arqueológico de Chavín de Huántar tiene varias décadas como enfoque de investigaciones arqueológicas, pero a pesar de casi 70 años de trabajo formal en arqueología su extensión y carácter siguen entendidos de forma incompleta. Este se debe al carácter del paisaje del sitio—o sea, su geomorfología. En este capitulo describo la geomorfologia del sitio arqueologico y sus alrededores, y planteo unas ideas preliminares con respeto al su importancia para los habitantes.

The archaeological site of Chavín de Huántar has been a focus of archaeological research for several decades, but in spite of almost 70 years of formal archaeological research its extent and character remain incompletely understood. This is due to the nature of Chavin's landscape: that is, its geomorphology. In this chapter I describe the geomorphology of the archaeological site and its surroundings, and make some preliminary suggestions about the importance of that geomorphology to Chavin's inhabitants.

Sociopolitical and Geomorphologic Dynamics at Chavín de Huántar, Peru

Daniel A. Contreras — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:24:13 PDT

The research presented here links questions of human-environment interaction and emergent sociopolitical complexity in the context of the Central Andean Formative Period, at the early monumental center of Chavín de Huántar.

Recent work in the monumental core of Chavín has focused more on architecture than environment, leading to the development of a model of “built authority” at Chavín—a vision of monumental construction and ritual practice at the site as part of a carefully designed elite project of naturalizing social inequality and elite authority. My work links this local approach to sociopolitical dynamics at Chavín with broad-based approaches to Andean human-environment dynamics, suggesting that interaction with and informed manipulation of the local environment formed a key part of the legitimation and institutionalization of sociopolitical inequality at Chavín.

Such a perspective has come out of archaeological and geomorphologic work at and around Chavín, focused as much on the near periphery of the site as on the monumental core. That investigation leads me to argue that a significant part of the monumental project at Chavín consisted of the modification of the surrounding landscape. This, in turn, leads to a consideration of the nature of the monumental center itself, and the role of environmental engineering in Chavín’s changing sociopolitical setting. What did it mean, I ask here, to build and maintain a ceremonial center in the midst of a dynamic—and risky—environment?

The landscape itself, as well as the architecture within it, was apparently an important medium of communication, whether the target of that communication was elites, commoners, or supernaturals (or all of those simultaneously). The abundance of evidence demonstrating that the project of monument- and authority-building at Chavín included massive modification of the local landscape testifies to the fact that Chavín’s builders understood the landscape as an important component of their project. Moreover, the activity of that landscape itself—the geomorphic processes common to the valley—also apparently played an important role, providing a visible reminder of (super)natural power and a motivator for coordinated action.

Reconstructing landscape at Chavin de Huantar, Peru : A GIS-based approach

Daniel A. Contreras — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:06:24 PDT

The landscape around the prehistoric Peruvian ceremonial center of Chavin de Huantar has undergone extensive geomorphic and anthropogenic change since the beginning of monumental construction at the site in approximately 1200 BCE. Archaeological and geomorphic stratigraphy from the site and its near periphery provide the data necessary to characterize these changes in detail. This paper reports on the use of GIS-based interpolation tools to approximate a complex prehistoric land surface using unevenly scattered point data. Such an interpolated surface serves as the basis for the reconstruction of the pre- Chavin landscape and assessment of landscape change contemporary with the site.