Under the supervision of James B. Richardson III, Alejandro J. Chu will conduct archaeological research at the site of Bandurria on the Peruvian north coast. This 5,800 year old site is one of the earliest temple centers in South America and is at the threshold of the emergence of Peruvian civilization. Little is known about social organization of the people that constructed Bandurria and other Late Preceramic (5,800-3,200 cal. B.P.) temple centers, for much of the research on this time period has been on the temples themselves, not on the people who built them. Research will focus upon two distinct village patterns at the site. The early village has circular houses, while the later village displays rectangular houses representing a significant change in the social organization of the population, as the village became larger and temple construction commenced. The excavation within and adjacent to these circular and rectangular houses will enable Chu to interpret changes in economic strategies, the beginnings of social inequality and the rise of political and religious leaders that formed the foundation for the rise of states in Peru.
This research has comparative significance to studies of the rise of cultural complexity and the origins of civilization in other parts of the world. In coastal Peru the economic emphasis was upon marine foods, not agriculture as in the Near East, but both regions developed states and empires. The similarities and differences in social-political organization represented in households of these emergent complex societies will enable investigators to compare and contrast their data with that of the trajectory of cultural development in the Late Preceramic of coastal Peru as reflected in the excavations at Bandurria.
This research is a major component of the graduate training of Alejandro Chu for not only he will be directing his own field project, but also coordinating the analysis of the data and writing up the results of his research to be presented to his doctoral committee. This part of his education is crucial for his long-term success in his future career in anthropology. While in the field he will also be interacting with the local community near Bandurria, presenting lectures at schools and to the general public to provide them with an appreciation of their archaeological heritage.
