With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Charles Stanish will conduct archeological survey work in the Lake Titicaca Basin of Southern Peru. The research focuses on the Lupaqa, a prehistoric group which survived into early historic times and was described in Spanish chronicles. The Lupaqa consist of a distinct, spatially limited, regional group which maintained its identity although it was conquered by and incorporated into successive Tiwanaku and Inca empires. Based on his prior work in the region, Dr. Stanish will conduct a surface survey. He will locate and map Lupaqa sites, and on the basis of surface materials recovered, assign these to appropriate time periods. The nature of the extent and configuration of surface remains will permit a good deal of inference about site organization and function. Archaeologists wish to understand how large complex entities such as empires expand and maintain their control over subject populations. There is much disagreement about the extent to which direct force of arms is involved and the strategies used not only to establish but also to maintain power. Because the Lupaqa constitute such a "marginal" group and because they were consecutively incorporated into two such kingdoms they provide an excellent context in which to examine this issue. The research is important for several reasons. The basic forces which shaped Andean prehistory are evident in the world today. Many countries such as the Soviet Union and Ethiopia consist of diverse ethnic groups brought together under a strong central rule. An archaeological case such as the Lupaqa permits one to examine the interplay of central and regional forces over a long period of time.
