Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Migration Agency and Social Change during the Early Horizon in Nasca, Peru

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Katharina Schreiber, Mr. Hendrik Van Gijseghem will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will undertake archaeological excavations at the site of La Puntilla in the Nasca drainage of the South Coast of Peru. This site, dated to the latter part of the Early Horizon (ca. 400 B.C - 1 AD), is part of what may be the earliest known permanent occupation of the Nasca drainage by sedentary agriculturalists. It is a 2.5 hectare village composed of small subrectangular rooms aligned on a series of steep terraces overlooking the Aja river. An abundance of ceramic material at the site indicates that its inhabitants probably came from further north in the Ica valley. Local development and trade cannot explain the presence of this material due to the absence of earlier settlements in the region. La Puntilla, along with similar sites, is significant both historically and theoretically. It provides us with a clear archaeological case of post-migratory reorganization that will shed light on the dynamics of migration in prehistory as well as on the elusive relationship between the Paracas (Ica Valley donor) culture and the celebrated Nasca society. Archaeologists have identified migrations in prehistory, but have only recently elaborated on their theoretical significance. This work helps define archaeology's contribution to migration literature in the social sciences by examining migration's potential effects on the social dynamics of newly-formed communities. Mr. Van Gijseghem considers that migration may provide opportunities for individuals to maintain or better their social status through the creative manipulation of existing social frameworks. Anthropological literature does suggest that this is a frequent outcome of population movements because patterns of authority, wealth and power are likely to be reevaluated in a new social and physical environment. The nature and effects of these innovations hinge upon the identity and intention of the migrants. Thus, migrations in sedentary societies represent a fundamental vector of cultural and social change. Mr. Van Gijseghem expects to recognize the archaeological correlates of the post-migration reorganization through a comparative analysis of households at La Puntilla. He theorizes that patterns of production, distribution and use of ceramic vessels bearing traditional Paracas symbols diverged from those of contemporaneous communities in the homeland. Also, the traditional symbols were likely altered and used in different overall contexts, while new canons were created and modified patterns of wealth and power emerged. This research represents one of the first explicit attempts to produce an archaeological test of models about migrations and their effects on social organization. It will also help document the transition between Paracas and Nasca societies of the Peruvian south coast and will assist in training a promising young scientist.