Under the direction of Dr. Alan Kolata, Mr. James Mathews will conduct archaeological survey and excavation to collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will examine the relationship between the rise of the Tiwanaku state and changes in methods of agricultural production. The Tiwanaku civilization emerged in the Lake Titicaca Basin of Bolivia between 200 BC and 1100 AD. During its height, it controlled an area encompassing much of present-day Bolivia, southern Peru, and northern Chile. Preliminary evidence indicates that during this period the state economy was based on surplus agricultural production through the use of an intensive system which employed raised fields. However, it is unclear how the early stages of this process developed. To shed light on this question Mr. Mathews will conduct an intensive systematic survey of prehispanic settlement and agricultural features in one section of the Tiwanaku region. These data will be supplemented with limited archaeological excavation. Correlations between change in settlement pattern and agricultural expansion should then provide a better understanding of the long-term development of these linked political and economic systems. This research is important for several reasons. First, it will increase our understanding of how large preindustrial states arise and are maintained. Secondly, it may contribute to the development of appropriate technologies for third world countries. In Bolivia today these same areas are much less intensively cultivated than in the past, and hopefully, Mr. Mathews will gain useful information about how the prehistoric agricultural system functioned. Finally, this project will assist in the training of an extremely promising young scientist.
