Under the supervision of Dr. Marc Bermann, Mr Andrew Tenpas will explore the extent to which productive activities, external ties, and ceremonial activities formed the basis for social leadership, status differentiation, and community integration in the Late Formative period (1150 BC-AD 600), and how these changed in the Middle Horizon period ((AD 600-1100). He will focus on the small village site of Pirque Alto which is located near Cochabamba, Bolivia. The research is important from an archaeological perspective because it provides insight into the processes which led to the development of complex large scale societies. It also sheds light on the dynamics of small scale villages which exist today in many parts of the world. The work will further understanding of how social integration is maintained.
The Late Formative phase was a time of societal transformation, with marked population growth, economic intensification, increased social hierarchy, and the spread of regional-level polities. It is not understood however how these changes were manifested in processes at the household and community levels. While the Cochabamba Valley has seen extensive regional survey, revealing a long sequence of occupation, excavation has largely focused on Late Horizon sites, and almost no household archaeology has been conducted for the Formative through Middle Horizon periods. Lacking systematic investigation of sociopolitical and economic processes at residential sites, major developments of the Formative can only be sketched in the most general way. Study of household variability in status, consumption, and economic activities will provide data needed to: (i) test a hypothesized 'economic boom' that underwrote social inequality and political leadership in Cochabamba between the Late Formative and Middle Horizon periods, (ii) assess a general model of domestic economy and change in prehistoric agricultural societies, and (iii) test current hypotheses concerning the role played in Cochabamba populations by interaction with the highland Tiwanaku empire.
The project has multiple broader impacts. It will serve to strengthen collaborative ties between American universities and the Cochabamba cultural institutions, with community outreach and feedback a strong focus. The work will also further the training of Bolivian and North American students and archaeologists in basic fieldwork techniques to more advanced material analysis training, with constant emphasis placed upon anthropologically and problem-oriented research. Finally, this project contributes two approaches that are entirely lacking in Cochabamba archaeology to date: a greater focus on household processes, and investigation at the community level.
