The Archaeology of the Andes
REVISED 10/26/2010 – CHANGES ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW
ARCH 0335 – Fall 2010
Meeting time: MWF 2:00 – 2:50 pm
Meeting place: 108 Rhode Island Hall
Instructor: Allison Davis ([email protected])
Office hours: Wednesday 3-5 pm
Office: 210 Rhode Island Hall
How could some of the earliest urban societies have been in the Peruvian desert? Who built
Machu Picchu and why? How can archaeology in the Amazon help us understand the influence
that human actions have on climate change? What is it like to carry out collaborative
international research?
This course will provide a basic survey of the archaeology of the Andean region of South
America which includes parts of modern-day Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and
Argentina. Course content will span from the peopling of the Americas to the transformation of
indigenous societies under Spanish colonial rule. It will include the most famous civilizations of
the Andes such as the Moche, Wari, and Inka as well as lesser known pastoral and fishing
societies. A small component of the course will focus on what it is like to conduct
archaeological research in the region today including the role of the prehispanic past in modern
national identity, the contributions of archaeology to sustainable development, and the effects
of looting of archaeological sites.
Although the Inka controlled the largest indigenous empire in the Americas, they never
developed a writing system and left no historical record. As an introductory archaeology
course, we will learn how scholars use household trash, temple architecture, burial data,
modern ethnography, and early colonial documents written by Spaniards to create stories
about ancient life in the Andes.
Reading materials and coursework
This course will be lecture based with hands-on activities and opportunities for
discussion. There will be two exams with multiple choice and short answer questions, four inclass activities, and two short writing assignments. Required reading should be completed
before each meeting and will sometimes include scholarly articles that highlight one important
aspect or debate emphasized in lecture. Readings will draw heavily on The Handbook of South
American Archaeology. All required reading will be posted on the course wiki
(http://proteus.brown.edu/andesarchaeology2010/Home; password: andesprivate).
Writing assignment 1
Students should select a small segment of a Spanish colonial document and examine it to
answer the following questions:
 Is this passage useful for thinking about prehistory?
 Does it include descriptions of the material remains of cultural practices that an
archaeologist might recover?
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 1 of 9

Do you detect anything (such as bias on the part of the author or significant Spanish
influence on the practices described) that makes you question the utility of the
document?
You will have the opportunity to work through this exercise with peers and the instructor in
class. The assignment should be 2-3 pages double spaced. It is due Friday, September 17.
Writing assignment 2 – REVISED 10/26/2010
Each student will research two objects that will be acquisitioned into the collection of the
Haffenreffer Musem of Anthropology at Brown. Students will select objects and begin research
on Nov. 5. Students will present their findings on Nov. 19 in class. During this session,
students will be able to discuss what they found in their research and compare it with what
other students have learned.
A Final report on the objects will be due on Tuesday, Nov. 23.
In-class activities
There will be four hands-on activities in class (usually on Fridays!). These activities are designed
to reinforce points made in lecture and encourage you to engage with materials – not to
evaluate your ability to complete the task perfectly in 50 minutes or less. They will be graded
credit/no credit.
Class participation
The class participation grade is meant to encourage an atmosphere of respect and active
academic engagement. The majority of this grade will be based on attendance and
participation in discussions. In order to participate fully, you must come prepared to class.
Therefore, this portion of your grade may include pop quizzes based on the readings. In
addition, to minimize distractions, you may not use laptops, cell phones, or other devices for
personal use during class (facebook, email, video games, reading the newspaper, etc.). If you
do, one point will be subtracted from your participation grade for each occurrence.
Grading
Exam 1
Exam 2
Writing assignment 1: Spanish documents
Writing assignment 2: Hafffenreffer aquisition
In-class activities
Class participation
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
30%
30%
10%
10%
10%
10%
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 2 of 9
Course Schedule
Week 1: Introduction to the course and Andean archaeology
Wednesday, September 1: Introduction to the course
Required reading
Sandweiss, D. H. and J. B. Richardson (2008). Central Andean environments. The
Handbook of South American Archaeology. H. Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New York,
Springer: 93-104.
Friday, September 3: Archaeological traditions in the Andes
Required reading
Hurst Thomas, D. and R. L. Kelly (2007). The structure of archaeological inquiry.
Archaeology: Down to Earth, Thomson Wadsworth: 23-47.
Week 2: Using Spanish colonial documents and ethnography to study prehistory
Monday, September 6: LABOR DAY – NO CLASSES
Wednesday, September 8: Colonial documents, modern ethnography, and prehistory
Required reading
Hiltunen, J. and G. F. McEwan (2004). Knowing the Inca past. Andean Archaeology. H.
Silverman. Malden, MA, Blackwell: 237-254.
Friday, September 10: Writing Assignment 1
Students will work in small groups and in consultation with the instructor to develop ideas for
the first writing assignment.
Required reading: Choose one of the following and bring a copy to class
Arriaga, P. J. de (1968). Chapter Two: What the Indians worship today and of what their
idolatry consists. The Extirpation of Idolatry in Peru. L. C. Keating. Lexington,
University of Kentucky Press: 22-32.
Garcilaso de la Vega. (1966). Book 4: Chapter I: The house of the virgins dedicated to the
Sun; Chapter II: The rules and duties of the chosen virgins; and Chapter III: The
veneration they had for the things made by the virgins and the law against those
who might violate them. Royal Commentaries of the Incas, and General History of
Peru. H. V. Livermore. Austin, University of Texas Press: 195-200.
Guamán Poma de Ayala, F. (2009). The chapter of the months of the year. The First New
Chronicle and Good Government: on the History of the World and the Incas up to
1615. R. Hamilton. Austin, University of Texas Press: 237-262.
Cieza de León, P. de (1959). Chapter 48: Which deals with the manner in which the Incas
carried out their conquests, and how in many places they made arid lands fertile,
and the way in which they accomplished this; Chapter 49: Which deals with the
manner in which the provinces were taxed, and the equitable fashion in which this
was done; Chapter 53: Of how they had chroniclers to keep record of their deeds,
and the use of the quipus, and what we see of them now. The Incas of Pedro de
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 3 of 9
Cieza de León. H. De Onís and V. W. Von Hagen. Norman, University of Oklahoma
Press: 158-168 and 172-175.
Or make your own short selection from one of the following sources
Arriaga, P. J. de and L. C. Keating (1968). The Extirpation of Idolatry in Peru. Lexington,
University of Kentucky Press.
Cieza de León, P. de, H. De Onís, et al. (1959). The Incas of Pedro de Cieza de León.
Norman, University of Oklahoma Press.
Garcilaso de la Vega and H. V. Livermore (1966). Royal Commentaries of the Incas, and
General History of Peru. Austin, University of Texas Press.
Guamán Poma de Ayala, F. and R. Hamilton (2009). The First New Chronicle and Good
Government: on the History of the World and the Incas up to 1615. Austin,
University of Texas Press.
(http://www.kb.dk/permalink/2006/poma/info/en/frontpage.htm)
Salomon, F., J. Urioste, et al. (1991). The Huarochirí Manuscript: a Testament of Ancient
and Colonial Andean Religion. Austin, University of Texas Press.
Week 3: Early Andean settlements
Monday, September 13: The first South Americans
Required reading
Dillehay, T. D. and M. B. Collins (1988). "Early cultural evidence from Monte Verde in
Chile." Nature 332(6160): 150-152.
Lynch, T. F. (1990). "Glacial-Age Man in South America? A Critical Review." American
Antiquity 55(1): 12-36.
Dillehay, T. D. and M. B. Collins (1991). "Monte Verde, Chile: A Comment on Lynch."
American Antiquity 56(2): 333-341.
Wednesday, September 15: Early cultural complexity on the desert coast
Required reading
Miller, K. (2005). "Showdown at the O.K. Caral: A battle royal erupts among researchers
studying Peru's sprawling Caral site." Discover 26(9): 62-69.
Shady Solis, R. (2006). America’s first city? The case of Late Archaic Caral. Andean
Archaeology III: North and South. W. H. Isbell and H. Silverman. New York, Springer:
28-66.
Haas, J. and W. Creamer (2006). "Crucible of Andean civilization: the Peruvian coast
from 3000 to 1800 BC." Current anthropology 47(5): 745-775. (read pages 745-756)
Friday, September 17: Early high altitude herders
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1 DUE!
Required reading
Aldenderfer, M. (1991). "Continuity and change in ceremonial structures at Late
Preceramic Asana, southern Peru." Latin American Antiquity 2(3): 227-258.
Stahl, P. W. (2008). Animal domestication in South America. The Handbook of South
American Archaeology. H. Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New York, Springer: 121-130.
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 4 of 9
Week 4: Ritual and authority in early highland societies
Monday, September 20: The early ceremonial center of Chavín de Huántar
Required reading
Rostworowski, M. (1998). Pachacamac and El Señor de Milagros. Native Traditions in the
Postconquest World: a Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 2nd through 4th October
1992. E. H. Boone and T. Cummins. Washington, D.C., Dumbarton Oaks: 345-361.
(Read pages 345-348, skim 348-361 if you have time)
Burger, R. L. (2008). Chavín de Huántar and its sphere of influence. The Handbook of
South American Archaeology. H. Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New York, Springer:
681-703.
Wednesday, September 22: Agro-pastoral societies around the world’s highest navigable lake
Required reading
Hastorf, C. A. (2008). The Formative period in the Titicaca Basin. The Handbook of South
American Archaeology. H. Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New York, Springer: 545-561.
Friday, September 24: In-class activity 1: How to find a mummy when the flesh is gone
Required reading
Salomon, F. (1995). "Beautiful grandparents": Andean ancestor shrines and mortuary
ritual as seen through colonial records. Tombs for the Living : Andean Mortuary
Practices : a Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks 12th and 13th October 1991. T. D.
Dillehay. Washington, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection: 315-353.
Week 5: Flamboyant cultures on the coast
Monday, September 27: Moche art and the ethics of studying looted material
Required reading
Donnan, C. B. (2004). Introduction. Moche Portraits from Ancient Peru. Austin,
University of Texas Press: 1-12.
Alexander, B. (1990). "Archeology and looting make a volatile mix." Science 250(4984):
1074-1075.
Donnan, C. B., W. M. Sudduth, et al. (1991). "Archeology and Looting: Preserving the
Record." Science 251(4993): 498-499.
Wednesday September 29: Moche temples, tombs, and politics
Required reading
Castillo Butters, L. J. and S. Uceda Castillo (2008). The Mochicas. The Handbook of South
American Archaeology. H. Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New York, Springer: 707-729.
Friday, October 1: Nasca villagers vs. aliens
Required reading
von Däniken, E. (1969). Chariots of the gods? Unsolved mysteries of the past. London,
Souvenir. (pages TBD)
Reinhard, J. (1992). Interpreting the Nazca Lines. Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred
Landscapes. Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago: 290-301.
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 5 of 9
Week 6: The Nasca lines and Exam 1
Monday, October 4: In-class activity 2: Making the Nasca Lines
Class will meet in an outdoor location TBD to recreate the famous Nasca Lines.
Required reading
Instructions to make the Nasca lines.
Wednesday, October 6: Review for Exam 1
No required reading
Friday, October 8: EXAM 1 (IN CLASS)
Week 7: Highland empires Part 1: Wari
Monday, October 11: Fall Weekend Holiday – NO CLASSES
Wednesday, October 13: Processual archaeology and the first highland empire
Required reading
Isbell, W. H. and K. J. Schreiber (1978). "Was Huari a state?" American Antiquity 43(3):
372-389.
Friday, October 15: Wari territorial expansion and the nature of ancient empires
Required reading
Jennings, J. (2010). Beyond Wari walls : regional perspectives on Middle Horizon Peru.
(Pages TBD)
Week 8 Highland empires Part 2: Tiwanaku
Monday, October 18: Ethnicity and migration in the Tiwanaku state
Required reading
Blom, D. E. (2005). "Embodying borders: human body modification and diversity in
Tiwanaku society." Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 24(1): 1-24.
Knudson, K. J. (2008). "Tiwanaku influence in the South Central Andes: Strontium
isotope analysis and Middle Horizon migration." Latin American Antiquity 19(1): 3.
Wednesday, October 20: Can ancient technology help modern farmers?
Short film: “Lost empire of Tiwanaku”
Required reading
Janusek, J. W. and A. L. Kolata (2004). "Top-down or bottom-up: rural settlement and
raised field agriculture in the Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia." Journal of
Anthropological Archaeology 23(4): 404-430.
Erickson, C. L. (1998). Applied archaeology and rural development: archaeology's
potential contribution to the future. Crossing Currents: Continuity and Change in
Latin America. M. B. Whiteford and S. Whiteford. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey,
Prentice Hall: 34-45.
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 6 of 9
Friday, October 22: In-class activity 3: How to use iconography to study time and culture
Required reading
Isbell, W. and P. Knobloch (2006). Missing links, imaginary links: staff god imagery in the
south Andean past. Andean Archaeology III: North and South. W. Isbell and H.
Silverman. New York, Springer: 307-351. (Read 307-310, skim the rest).
Week 9: Collapse and the aftermath
Monday, October 25: The role of climate change in the collapse of Wari and Tiwanaku
Required reading
Binford, M. (1997). "Climate variation and the rise and fall of an Andean civilization."
Quaternary Research 47(2): 235-248.
Erickson, C. L. (1999). "Neo-environmental determinism and agrarian 'collapse' in
Andean prehistory." Antiquity 73(281): 634-642.
Kolata, A. L., M. W. Binford, et al. (2000). "Environmental thresholds and the empirical
reality of state collapse: a response to Erickson (1999)." Antiquity 74(284): 424-426.
Wednesday, October 27: The Chimu
Required reading
Moore, J. D. and C. J. Mackey (2008). The Chimú Empire. The Handbook of South
American Archaeology. H. Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New York, Springer: 783-807.
Friday, October 29: Was the ‘vertical archipelago’ an ancient tradition or a colonial invention?
Required readings
Stanish, C. (1989). "Household archeology: testing models of zonal complementarity in
the South Central Andes." American Anthropologist 91(1): 7-14.
Van Buren, M. (1996). "Rethinking the vertical archipelago: ethnicity, exchange, and
history in the South Central Andes." American Anthropologist 98(2): 338-351.
Week 10: Inka origins and customs
Monday, November 1: Inka origins
Required reading
Urton, G. (1999). Cosmic origin myths and origin myths of the Inca state. Inca Myths.
Austin, University of Texas: 34-58.
Bauer, B. S. and R. A. Covey (2002). "Processes of state formation in the Inca heartland
(Cuzco, Peru)." American Anthropologist 104(3): 846-864.
Wendesday, November 3: The Inka Empire: no money, no writing, no problem
Required reading REVISED 10/26/2010
Covey, R. A. (2008). The Inca Empire. The Handbook of South American Archaeology. H.
Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New York, Springer: 809-830.
Urton, G. (2010). Recording measure(ments) in the Inka khipu. The Archaeology of
Measurement: Comprehending. I. Morley and C. Renfrew. Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press: 54-68.
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 7 of 9
Friday, November 5: In-class activity 4: Select an object from the Haffenreffer acquisition
No required reading
Week 11: Inka imperial expansion
Monday, November 8: Inka imperial expansion and local populations
Required reading
Hastorf, C. A. (1991). Gender, Space, and Food in Prehistory. Engendering Archaeology.
J. M. Gero and M. W. Conkey, Basil Blackwell: 132-159.
Wednesday, November 10: Machu Picchu, an Inka royal estate
Required reading
Salazar, L. C. (2004). Machu Picchu: Mysterious royal estate in the cloud forest. Machu
Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas. R. L. Burger and L. C. Salazar. New
Haven, Yale University Press: 21-48.
Niles, S. A. (2004). The nature of Inca royal estates. Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery
of the Incas. R. L. Burger and L. C. Salazar. New Haven, Yale University Press: 49-70.
Friday, November 12: Machu Picchu and modern controversy
Required reading
Peru-Yale memorandum of Understanding (5 pages)
Swanson, S. S. A. (2009). "Repatriating cultural property: the dispute between Yale and
Peru over the treasures of Machu Picchu." San Diego International Law Journal 10:
469-494.
Hoffman, T. L., M. L. Kwas, et al. (2002). "Heritage tourism and public archaeology." The
SAA Archaeological Record: 30-32.
Skim: 2008 Revised Vilcanota Valley Project Information Document (the original
appraisal was made in 2004) http://wwwwds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2008/11/12/00
0333038_20081112233634/Rendered/PDF/464420Revised01lley0Rehabilitation0.p
df
Week 12: The Amazon AND Spanish conquest
Monday, November 15: Archaeology of the Amazon and environmental conservation
Required reading
Erickson, C. L. (2008). Amazonia: The Historical Ecology of a Domesticated Landscape.
The Handbook of South American Archaeology. H. Silverman and W. H. Isbell. New
York, Springer: 157-183.
Mayle, F. E., R. P. Langstroth, et al. (2007). "Long-term forest–savannah dynamics in the
Bolivian Amazon: implications for conservation." Philosophical Transactions of the
Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 362(1478): 291-307.
Wednesday, November 17: The arrival of the Spanish
Required reading
Spalding (1996). The crises and transformations of invaded societies: Andean area. The
Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. F. Salomon and B. S.
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 8 of 9
Schwartz. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Volume III: South America, Part
1: 904-972. (read 904-927)
Friday, November, 19: Presentation of object research (Writing assignment 2)
No Required reading
Students will present their findings regarding the objects they researched for the
Haffenreffer Museum. During this session, students will be able to discuss what
they found in their research and compare it with what other students have learned.
Week 13: Transformations under colonial rule
Monday, November 22: Indigenous people under colonial rule
Required reading
Wernke, S. A. (2007). "Negotiating community and landscape in the Peruvian Andes: A
transconquest view." American Anthropologist 109(1): 130-152.
Tuesday, November 23: WRITING ASSIGNEMENT 2 DUE
You may hand in your assignment by email to [email protected]
Wednesday, November 24 and Friday, November 26 – Thanksgiving NO CLASSES
Week 14: Prehistory and modern politics AND course conclusions
Monday, November 29: Prehistory and modern identity in the Andes
Required reading
Antoinette, M. (2004). "The resurrection of the Inca: the role of Indian representations
in the invention of the Peruvian nation." History and Anthropology 15: 233-250.
Kojan, D. (2005). "Dominant narratives, social violence and the practice of Bolivian
archaeology." Journal of Social Archaeology 5(3): 383-408.
Wednesday, December 1: Conclusions and Review for Exam 2
No required reading
Friday, December 3: EXAM 2 (IN CLASS)
Syllabus: Andean Archaeology
Instructor: Allison Davis
Page 9 of 9