Under the direction of Dr. R. Alan Covey, Amanda Aland will investigate the Inka incorporation and administration of the Chao Valley on the north coast of Peru, focusing on the site of Santa Rita B. The Chao Valley, located in the heart of the Chimú state, was later conquered when the Inkas incorporated the coast into the empire reportedly around A.D.1470. The Inkas employed a variety of strategies for controlling the core and provincial areas of their vast empire, but very little is currently understood about Inka administration of the north coast of Peru. Santa Rita B is a strategically located mid-valley site bearing occupations spanning approximately 2500 years, including both Chimú and Inka. Research at the site, a possible Inka administrative center, will address the research question of whether the Inkas governed the valley through existing Chimú institutions or replaced them with their own.
Ms. Aland's research will include systematic excavation and dating of the structures at Santa Rita B, as well as in-depth laboratory analyses to examine how the Inkas changed existing political and economic institutions and how such policies affected local people. Excavations will target administrative, economic, and domestic contexts. Investigations into administrative contexts at Santa Rita B will be critical in addressing how the Inkas governed the preceding Chimú at the site. Associated with economic and political aspects of governance, the excavation of the corrals should provide information on the origins of the camelids housed in the structures, and if and how the Inkas made use of herding and caravanning practices to benefit the state. Domestic contexts will provide insight into who occupied the area and how they were affected by the Inka state on a daily basis. In addition to excavations, AMS radiocarbon dates will aid in the establishment of a chronology of site and structure use, allowing for the Inka occupation represented at the site to be placed in space and time.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in the contribution to the understanding of the variable Inka strategies for incorporation and control of the Peruvian north coast as a provincial area of the state. It will also address the larger issue of ancient empires, by contributing to the understanding of ancient imperial strategies of expansion, conquest, and administration of other territories a concept that can be applied to the field of anthropology. This project will have a broader impact by providing opportunities to the local community to learn from and participate in the research being conducted at Santa Rita B. The research will be a collaborative effort between Ms. Aland, students from the U.S, local Peruvian archaeologists, and workers, all of whom will receive training in both field and laboratory methods. It has the potential to greatly impact the members of the local community by involving them in the project and providing opportunities for education about the history of the north coast of Peru, better site management, and overall cultural heritage management.
