Shifting Local, Regional, and Interregional Relations in Middle Horizon Peru: Evidence from La Real

Author： Jennings Justin Tung Tiffiny A. Yépez Álvarez Willy J. Lucano Gladys Cecilia Quequezana Hurtado Marko Alfredo López

Publisher： Society for American Archaeology

ISSN： 1045-6635

Source： Latin American Antiquity, Vol.26, Iss.3, 2015-09, pp. : 382-400

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Abstract

The Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 600–1100) was a period of great change in the Andes, with much of Peru connected through long-distance exchange and widely shared Wari styles and practices. Recent research has begun to detail the transformations that occurred within the period, leading to questions about the development of the Wari state and its shifting relationships with outlying areas over time. This article expands this research by exploring the temporal differences within a funerary assemblage at La Real, a site in the Majes Valley of southern Peru. The artifacts and human remains from La Real are used to explore Middle Horizon dynamism in relation to both the surging interregional interaction of the period and emergent social stratification in the valley. Mortuary profiles and sublethal violence remain fairly constant throughout the period, but lethal violence significantly increases in the late Middle Horizon. There are also significant changes over time in the presence of exotic goods and other items, reflecting an increase in craft specialization, the adoption of Wari-related styles and practices, and the development of a more regionally oriented economy. The role of the Wari state in these changes, although unclear, may relate to attempts by Wari leaders to manipulate the long-distance movement of a restricted group of artifacts and resources.