PROYECTO DE INVESTIGACIÓN ARQUEOLÓGICA ATALLA
Michelle Young
In 2016 the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Atalla (Atalla Archaeological Investigation) will embark on its third field season at
the site of Atalla, located in the district of Yauli, region of Huancavelica, in the south-central highlands of Peru. Atalla measures
approximately 6 ha in size and is composed of a settlement with a monumental core. The site emerged as a regional center in the Early
Horizon period (c.800-200BC) and was occupied until the Late Intermediate period (c. AD1000-AD1400). In the Central Andes, Early
Horizon period (c.800-200BC) is characterized by increasing social complexity and interregional interaction on an unprecedented scale.
This interaction is visible archaeologically through the spread of new technologies, exotic materials, and shared stylistic elements and
religious imagery over many parts of the Central Andes. The Early Horizon occupation of the site is of particular interest, as incipient
markers of authority and the earliest recorded monumental public architecture in the region of Huancavelica appear at Atalla during this
period, demonstrating the site’s central role in the emergence of social complexity in the region.
Atalla was originally identified through surface observation in the late 1950’s but the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Atalla
represents the first scientific excavations conducted at the site. Although investigations are still ongoing, recent analyses of ceramic and
architectural styles excavated at the site have confirmed long-distance connections with other parts of the Andes and particularly strong
cultural ties with the preeminent site of Chavín de Huántar, 450km to the north. For example, the monumental stone platforms, grand
staircase constructed of cut stone blocks, and subterranean stone-lined canal are architectural features at the site that share more in
common with Chavín de Huántar and other distant ceremonial centers than with local architectural traditions. The high frequency of
Chavin style ceramics also speaks to the strong relationship between these two sites, while the low frequency of other non-local ceramic
styles demonstrates Atalla’s connection to a wider network of exchange and interaction. These observations, along with Atalla's location
a mere 15 km from the richest source of cinnabar (mercuric sulfide) in the New World, suggest that Atalla participated in the Chavín
interaction sphere as a gateway for the distribution of cinnabar, a treasured mineral pigment in ancient Andes.
The Project aims to contribute in several ways to the field of archaeology. On the local level, this research will fill a gap in
archaeological knowledge of the prehistory of Huancavelica, Peru, a region which has received little scholarly attention. Furthermore,
the Project represents the first full-scale investigation of incipient complex social formation in the region, offering an alternate
perspective in the archaeological literature on the topic of the emergence of social complexity in the Andes. In broader terms, the Project
will contribute to archaeological theory by testing existing models of interregional interaction and illuminating the relationship between
interregional interaction and social change, in the Andes and beyond.
Michelle Young, Yale University, [email protected]
Amy Krull, Wayne State University
Jane Stone, University of Utah
Sadie Weber, Harvard University
Keywords: social complexity, interaction, exchange, trade, cinnabar, Early Horizon, exotic materials, Chavin, monumental architecture, Central Andes, Peru, SouthCentral highlands, Central Highlands
Permanent URI: http://www.saa.org/CurrentResearch/pdf/saa_cro_271_Proyecto_de_Investigacin_.pdf
Bounding coordinates (decimal degrees):
West: -12.8 North: -74.82 East: -12.59 South: -75.01
Citation Example: Michelle Young (2016) Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Atalla. SAA Current Research 271,
http://www.saa.org/CurrentResearch/pdf/saa_cro_271_Proyecto_de_Investigacin_.pdf, accessed (current date)
Current Research Online No: 271:1
Copyright ©2016 Society for American Archaeology
Anthropomorphic ceramic fragment covered in cinnabar pigment
Current Research Online No: 271:2
Copyright ©2016 Society for American Archaeology
Monumental staircase constructed of cut stone blocks which marks the axis of the public sector of the site
Current Research Online No: 271:3
Copyright ©2016 Society for American Archaeology
View of the site from the North, looking South
Example of a ceramic ear spool decorated with incised circles. Ear spools represent early symbols of individual status and authority.
Current Research Online No: 271:4
Copyright ©2016 Society for American Archaeology
Subterranean stone-lined canal constructed with large stone lintels. This construction technique is common at Chavin de Huantar
and at other Chavin-related Early Horizon (c.800-200BC) ceremonial centers.
Current Research Online No: 271:5
Copyright ©2016 Society for American Archaeology
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