With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Melissa Vogel, Peruvian archaeologist Percy Vilcherrez and their collaborators, will devote the next three field seasons to the study of ancient urban environments on the north coast of Peru. The project will investigate the sociopolitical changes that accompany the development of cities and the effects of these changes on the urban populace, through an examination of the built environment at a prehistoric Andean city that offers unique insights into the dynamics of urbanization on the north coast of Peru during a critical period of the region?s prehistory. Research will focus on the site of El Purgatorio, a large urban center and the proposed capital city of the Casma polity. The site appears to have had a long occupation, from at least the Middle Horizon (AD600-1000) through most of the Late Intermediate Period (AD1000-1350).
Project El Purgatorio has a dual emphasis on archaeology and physical anthropology. The architectural aspect of the study focuses on the functions and meanings of the extensive walled compounds and their internal elements. Excavations will also be conducted in a selected sample of non-compound structures that have been identified as possible commoner residences and workshop areas. The results of the architectural component are expected to contribute new insights into the processes that shaped Andean cities and their changing forms over time, as well as identify those elements specific to the Casma polity. The bioarchaeological component of the study focuses on human skeletal remains, and will seek evidence for the effects of urbanism on the local populace. Biodistance analysis will be utilized to determine the population's geographic origins and kinship relations, while additional analyses will examine their health, nutrition, and disease patterns.
The questions addressed by this project have substantial implications at multiple levels, from the effects of urbanism on local populations to the enhancement of archaeological models for the development of cities, and the furthering of regional archaeological knowledge in the Andean region of South America. Examining the changing face of urban environments on the north coast of Peru will not only inform our understanding of New World urbanism, but may also provide models for other studies of ancient cities around the world. The implications of this research for the development of anthropological theory and the study of complex societies include further definition of the concepts of urbanism, urbanization, and what constitutes a city. The study of El Purgatorio may provide significant insight into the reasons for and processes of urbanization.
This project utilizes a Public Interest approach to recover the heritage of Peru's indigenous people. It will provide employment and learning opportunities for local people, offer presentations and site tours to schoolchildren and community members, and contribute to the development of archaeological tourism in the Casma Valley for the benefit of local communities, primarily through the SechÃn Museum. In addition, both undergraduates and graduate students will receive hands-on training, while the employment of Peruvian archaeologists will further goals for international cooperation.
Thanks to National Science Foundation and Clemson University, Dr. Melissa Vogel, Peruvian archaeologist Percy Vilcherrez and their team studied the ancient urban environment at El Purgatorio, the capital city of the Casma polity on the north coast of Peru. This project investigated the changes that accompany the development of cities and the effects of these changes on the urban populace through an examination of the built environment. The questions addressed by this project have substantial implications at multiple levels, from the effects of urbanism on local populations to the enhancement of archaeological models for the development of cities, and the furthering of regional archaeological knowledge in the Andean region of South America. We utilized a Public Interest approach, providing employment and learning opportunities for local people, and contributing to the development of archaeological tourism in the Casma Valley. The 2007 field season at El Purgatorio exceeded expectations in recovering data on Casma mortuary practices. The seven intact burials recovered from the cemeteries provided excellent new data and an unprecedented view into this culture. Significantly, ceramics recovered from these burials clearly incorporate stylistic influences from various Middle Horizon cultures, including the Wari, Lambayeque and Pachacamac, as well as Casma style vessels. This discovery points to a high degree of cultural interaction and trade, while serving as a chronological marker for the late Middle Horizon (ca. AD800-1000). We initiated excavations in Compound A1 Plaza 2, with exciting results that provoke the need for further investigation. In each trench excavated we found a low wall with a double row of small niches painted yellow, topped by remnants of another row of niches. This pattern appears to be unique to Casma architectural style. As a continuation of the Public Interest component, we hired local townspeople as workers, gave site tours and presentations to schoolchildren. We also facilitated meetings between the townspeople and a National Institute of Culture representative to address local concerns. 2008 included more significant finds. Investigation of Casma mortuary practices continued in the Sector C cemeteries with six units excavated. In Sector A, investigation of the monumental architecture continued with the excavation of seven trenches along the walls of Compound A1’s Plaza 2 and Platform 7, the best preserved plaza/platform complex at the site. These excavations took longer than expected for a wonderful reason—the discovery of painted friezes on the facades of nearly every wall uncovered. 2009 was another great success. In Sector A, investigation continued with excavations along the walls of Compound A1’s Room 21 and Platform 2, the second best preserved plaza/platform complex at the site. These excavations produced both expected and unexpected results—the niches along one plaza wall that were glimpsed prior to excavation were also replicated on the platform walls, in columns. In addition, five units were excavated in Compound A6, where we found two late intrusive burials, one of which was the mummy of a young girl. Investigation of Casma mortuary practices continued in Sector C with two large units. The 2010 season proved to be especially productive and informative. In Sector A, investigation continued with the excavation of two units in the ceramic workshop, plus the cleaning of the interior walls in the workshop’s associated structure. We completed the excavation of the top tier of Compound A1’s Platform 2b/c, part of the second best preserved plaza/platform complex at the site. The entire upper tier is lined with niches similar to those found along the front façade of the platform as well as on the east plaza wall. In addition, units were excavated in another platform/plaza complex of Compound A1, Platform 6/Plaza 1, the largest plaza at the site. Investigation of Casma mortuary practices continued in the Sector C cemeteries. The short 2011 season was spent primarily in the lab conducting further analysis, including Portable X-ray Fluorescence analysis of the ceramics and soil samples collected from areas near El Purgatorio as possible clay sources for local production of pottery. Numerous photographs were taken with the intent of producing 3D reconstructions of the whole vessels, and the ceramic rim analysis was finished. In general, we believe the results of this project have contributed greatly to our understanding of the Casma polity, a previously understudied culture on the north coast of Peru. We now have a better understanding of their architecture, ceramic style, subsistence, health, demography and mortuary patterns, and thus we can make inferences about their social and political organization, ritual practices, and participation in regional trade networks. With this knowledge we are also changing the broader understanding of late Andean coastal prehistory to include this important culture, and the archaeological community is beginning to acknowledge the need to include the Casma polity in discussions regarding the events of their era. As our results are more broadly disseminated we suspect their impact will be even more widely felt.
