With the support of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Steve Bourget and his colleagues from Peru, Canada and the United States will conduct three seasons of archaeological fieldwork on the North Coast of Peru. The team will investigate the growth and the development of complex societies between the 1st and the 8th century AD. During this period, the northern coast was dominated by the Moche culture. This ancient Andean society, perhaps the first one to attain the level of social complexity of a state, constructed cities with elaborate monumental edifices, specialized centers for the production of textiles, metal and ceramics, sectors for the elite and for the commoners and numerous cemeteries. Following a long tradition of irrigation engineering, they diverted the flow of rivers into canals and reclaimed arable land from the arid coast.
Currently, the dominant model regarding the socio-political organization of the Moche state suggests that the Pampa de Paijan, a sixty-kilometer stretch of desertic landscape that bisects the Peruvian north coast functioned as a natural barrier, dividing the Moche territories to the north of the desert from those to the south. The Moche centers to the north would have formed a series of autonomous polities distributed throughout the Jequetepeque, Zana, Lambayeque and La Leche valleys. In contrast, the southern territories would have been under the direct control of the Huacas de Moche site located in the Moche Valley. The main objective of this research project is to explore the socio-political relations entertained between six major Moche centers strategically located within the northern Moche territory.
During the tenure of this project, Huaca el Pueblo, a Moche center in the Zana valley, will be investigated in detail. This site, possessing an unusually long history spanning more that 1200 years, will permit the establishment of a complete chronological sequence of all the Moche phases. The material culture, architectural design and layout of Huaca el Pueblo will then be compared with those of at least five key sites in the northern Moche region: Pacatnamu, Dos Cabezas, San Jose de Moro, Sipan, and Pampa Grande. The establishment of a detailed sequence of Moche occupation in the northern region, through the active comparison of such monumental sites, will permit one to evaluate the relationships between the northern Moche urban centers, and to allow for the comparison of this region with the southern Moche territories.
This research will advance understanding of the complex dynamics involved in the formation of this early state society. This project is thus intended to contribute to the larger evaluation of early state formation in Ancient Peru. In addition to the colleagues already involved, the project will seek the active collaboration of specialists from other disciplines, as well as graduate students from Peru and the United States. These students will be trained to carry out archaeological fieldwork and laboratory analyses, including the application of new technologies. Through collaboration with colleagues from the Museum "Tumbas Reales de Sipan" and the village of Ucupe, the research team will further develop a strategic plan for the patrimonial recognition of the site. This endeavor at Huaca el Pueblo will provide for and promote local involvement, employment, and cultural patrimony in one of the poorest regions of Peru, not only throughout the course of project but following the completion of the field research.
