Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Households and Capital Networks in the Moche Valley, Peru

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Brian Billman, Evan Surridge will excavate and analyze the remains of residential dwellings at the Moche period sites of Ciudad de Dios and Quebrada del Leon which are located in the Moche Valley, northern Peru. These are rural sites located in the hinterlands of two of the region's most important urban centers during the Middle to Late Moche phases (~AD 400-700). Mr. Surridge's research will analyze ceramic and stone tool remains to examine how rural households' differential access to mass-produced goods from urban centers may have structured economic difference and inequality. The northern Peruvian coast is widely acknowledged as an important anthropological case study in political centralization and urbanization, but surprisingly little is known about the role of the region's large rural majority in these processes. This project approaches Moche phase urban-hinterland integration by examining how centrally-produced goods were used in household and community economies. Mr. Surridge will conduct small scale excavations and analyses of collections from six to eight rural households. Using architecture and pottery collections as proxy measures of wealth, the project will determine if wealth differences between households existed, and if so, whether these inequalities were correlated with access to mass-produced ritual goods. In order to understand variation in household economies, the project will also undertake a thorough analysis of the ceramic and stone tool materials used in household agriculture, food processing and serving, and craft production. Ultimately, Mr. Surridge will seek to correlate access to the social and cultural capital of ritual goods with unique economic practices. In this way, the research will examine how the political and religious symbolism of an emerging centralized polity affected the economic relationships and activities of participating populations. The broader impacts of the project include benefits for community involvement, education, and professional scholarship. Through a partnership with MOCHE Inc., Mr. Surridge will offer a series of public and school presentations in the Moche Valley communities of Ciudad de Dios and Quirihuac Viejo. These presentations will be conducted in tandem with the heritage preservation work of the 501c3 non-profit organization MOCHE Inc., and will seek to make the economic and educational potential of archaeological remains accessible to local stakeholders. Educational opportunities will also be available for undergraduate students from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Peru to work as volunteers and assistants in the excavation and laboratory phases, where they will be trained in field and laboratory methods. The research will provide data for Mr. Surridge's dissertation at UNC-Chapel Hill, and also generate collections for research by Peruvian and international graduate students. The project results will be shared with a scholarly audience through publications and professional presentations in English and Spanish, including submissions to peer-reviewed journals and publication of the resulting dissertation as a monograph.