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Pratt, L., López Aldave, N., Alarcon Ledesma, C., Alaica, A. This article presents the results of survey and excavation in the Chachapoyas region of the Peruvian eastern Andes attesting to human occupation of the mid-altitude cloud forest from at least the Middle Holocene. While the Peruvian eastern Andes have long been identified as an important region in the exchange of domesticated plants and animals between the Pacific coast, Andean highlands, and the Amazon rainforest, little direct evidence dating to before 1000 BP has been reported. In fact, the record of early groups in this tropical montane cloud forest environment is so scarce that some experts have suggested that this landscape was too marginal to support substantial pre- and proto-agricultural populations. Evidence from this study, including radiocarbon dating and faunal and botanical analyses, contradicts such models, showing that foragers were living in this environment from at least 5500 cal BP. Some domesticated species were present by the terminal Preceramic (ca 3600 cal BP), and mixed forager-producer subsistence persists in the Middle Horizon or Late Intermediate Period (1400–500 cal BP).  Maps showing location of A) the Chachapoyas region, and B) sites in the CARECH study. Full text available here, or find PDF below. Garvey, R., Poe, K., Pratt, L. The middle Holocene saw major changes in political and socioeconomic organization in Peru. Still, not all Peruvian groups transitioned to food production or engaged in mound or monument construction, yet we know relatively little about those who maintained a mobile lifestyle centered on foraging. Using GIS and statistical analyses to interrogate a database of radiocarbon dates, we assess the Peruvian record of forager distributions through the middle Holocene. We identify patterns consistent with biases stemming from disproportionate research attention, regional and intrasite sampling methodologies, and taphonomy that may be hampering our study of middle Holocene foragers. Further confounding our understanding of foragers during this period are reports of middle Holocene radiocarbon gaps attributed to population decline across South America in response to climate-induced scarcity of freshwater and other resources. We show, however, that this might also be an artifact of sampling in some cases and argue for both increased archaeological attention to middle Holocene foragers and greater awareness of perceptual biases that might influence research design and, therefore, research attention and outcomes.  Map of Peru indicating sites in our database (black circles), the ten most populous cities in Peru (red triangles; World Population Review, 2023), and the Amazon ecoregion (green shaded area). Purple dashed line represents political boundaries with adjacent countries. Data from ArcGIS online/Esri. Full text available here, or in PDF below Pratt, L., Guengerich, A. In the archaeological tradition of what is today Peru, studies of sedentary agricultural groups have accorded a minor role to the analysis of stone tools relative to other suites of material culture. Here, we illustrate the value of such lithic collections via a case study of settlement sites from the Chachapoyas region of northern Peru (AD 300–1500). This study demonstrates the potential of methods such as use-wear microscopy and raw material analysis to address questions of theoretical interest to archaeologists studying sedentary society, such as subsistence, household behavior, and ceremonial practices. A set of generalized linear models of the spatial distribution of volcanic stone indicates that lithic raw material acquisition at these ceramic period sites was likely embedded in other activities. In addition, we examine an unusual set of limestone and carbonate-patinated artifacts that suggest that lithic procurement and selection were informed and strategic, if not conforming to expected technological priorities. We suggest that, by taking the potential value of lithic artifacts into consideration from project design through field collection and assemblage sampling, researchers can minimize biases that may otherwise limit the value of lithic assemblages.  Prepared limestone tool: (A) dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C–E) heavily use-worn areas, above and below visible retouch; and (E) intentional retouch. Full text available here, or in PDF below. |
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