With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Kevin Vaughn will conduct three seasons of archaeological research in the Southern Nasca Region (SNR) of the south coast of Peru. The focus of the project will be understanding the production, distribution, and use of one of the most finely made classes of pottery in the Precolumbian Americas associated with the Nasca culture (ca. A.D. 1-750). For nearly a century archaeologists have studied Nasca polychrome pottery from museum collections, however relatively little work has focused on how the pottery fit into the wider sociopolitical and economic contexts of Nasca society. In short, research into what can be referred to as the craft economy of Nasca has been limited. Based upon preliminary evidence from recent fieldwork it appears that the pottery, although a "craft" in archaeological terms, is not one that fits easily into traditional models of craft specialization proposed by archaeologists. Although polychromes appear to have been reserved for individuals of high status in some contexts, recent work suggests that much of the pottery was available to all members of society regardless of their status. Despite this recent research, fundamental questions remain about this craft economy. Specifically, where was the pottery produced and in what contexts, how was it distributed and/or exchanged, to what extent was it used regionally, and how was this craft economy related to emerging leadership in Early Nasca society? This project is designed to address these questions in three seasons of fieldwork in the SNR. In order to determine the regional availablity of raw materials useful to ancient potters, the first season will consist of a material survey in the SNR to locate clays and mineral pigments used for the production of Nasca pottery. The elemental composition of these materials will then be determined through instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and matched with compositional data generated from previous analysis to determine if the production of pottery was restricted to a certain area of the region and controlled by emerging elites, or if production was dispersed and not controlled. Focus in the remaining two seasons will turn to evaluating polychrome distribution and use. This will consist of evaluating seven Early Nasca habitation sites through mapping and excavations. The data collected in these seasons will determine how widely polychromes were circulated from the production zones that are delineated in Season #1. Data will also be collected to assess the quantities of polychromes used at residential sites, whether this was limited to elites, or if polychromes were available to everyone, and how this varied across the region. It is hypothesized that the farther away from the regional core of Nasca society, the greater the importance that polychromes had in tying local elites to increasingly exotic goods. The proposed research will add to our understanding of why crafts are important in pre-industrial societies, and how craft economies articulate with emerging leadership in these societies. This research will also increase our understanding of how Nasca polychromes fit into the wider sociopolitical and economic domains of Nasca society.
