Early Andean Civilizations

Origins and Foundations

Environmental Context• Basic divisions:

east/west, north/south• Mountains, deserts, and

rivers• “Vertical archipelago”:

adapting to climate diversity based on altitude

• Off-shore upwelling currents: extremely rich marine ecosystems of Pacific coast

• El Niño destabilization of climate patterns

Textbook map of Andeanregion

Timeline

• “Periods” vs. “Horizons”: episodes with higher regional diversity, less integration, vs. episodes dominated by expanding cultural or political group, with less diversity, more integration

• Varies somewhat between coastal and highland zones

Textbook timeline for region

Preceramic Period (5000-3800BP)Coast

• Foragers in this area since at least 10,000BP

• Preceramic period begins when these foragers move into sedentism, begin to establish large settlements supported by fishing, low-level horticulture

• Maize arrives ca. 2800BP, with simultaneous expansion in populations

Highlands• Preceramic begins a little later

here, ca. 4500 BP• Associated with the

development of ceremonial centers like Kotosh, La Galgada

• Camelid (alpaca and llama) domestication occurs during this period

• Domestication of a range of indigenous tubers, esp. potato, and indigenous grain, quinoa, occurs during this period

• Maize arrives ca. 3250 BP

Key Elements of Early Andean States

• Full agricultural production, initial diversification of crop species by altitude zones

• Domestication of cotton, use of camelid fiber, elaboration of textile technology

• Rich ceremonial complex development, complete with monumental architecture

• Complex trade and interaction between highland and coastal zones

The “Maritime Foundations” Hypothesis

• Critical question: “how did coastal states develop, and from what economic and social base?”

• Moseley argued that the maritime resources would have been sufficient to sustain large populations

• The Bigger Picture: comparative data available for maritime-specialized “complex foragers” like Pacific Northwest, European Mesolithic, and possibly early Oceanian settlers, the Lapita

The Initial Period (3800-2800BP)

• Period of transition from forager-focused to intensive agriculture, development of extensive irrigation systems

• Marked increase in population, and in population densities, emergence of larger centers as series of small, independent kingdoms (valley to valley)

• Development of ceramic technology, early metallurgy• Clear signs of inter-settlement coordination of ritual

activity, but no parallel signs of social ranking, differentiation in burials

• All these processes most marked, most accelerated on the coast

Early Horizon in the Highlands (2900-2200 BP)

• Rise of Chavin de Huantar (2800-2200BP)

• Cultural influence expands out of the highlands, to coast, and to some extent north and south of Chavin itself

• Originally thought to be “mother culture” of Andean civilization, now understood to have coexisted with other early emerging states to north and south

• Shifted to urban status based on position along a coast/highland trade route, reinforced by development of ritual significance as a pilgrimage site

• Iconography (images and ideas) of Chavindoes seem to persist, get borrowed by a number of later states

Early Horizon at Lake Titicaca (southern highlands)

• Chiripa and Pukara were the key centers, (3400-2100 BP)

• Both rose to early urban size and status, and remained relatively autonomous from both Chavin and from each other

• Motifs developed at Chiripa in particular seemed to have carried on into later ritual and ideological use in the area

Early Horizon on the Coast• Rise of the Paracas culture on

the southern Andean coast, ca. 2500 BP

• Influenced technologically from the Lake Titicaca basin: ceramics, textiles, and irrigation agriculture

• However maintained cultural autonomy: different and distinctive art and architectural styles

• Smaller populations over all in this more marginal ecosystem

• Unclear evidence on amount, degree of social hierarchy, central authority

Existing environmental factors

• El Niño/La Niña events• Tectonic plate uplift• Flooding• Drought• Cold fluctuations (highlands)• Warm fluctuations (highlands)

Human/Environmental interactions

• Irrigation• Terracing• Canalization (river to river)• Population

density increases

• Soil degradation/erosion