Excavations at Cerro Azul, Peru: The Architecture and Pottery (Monographs): 62 - Softcover

Joyce Marcus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1931745552 ISBN 13: 9781931745550

Publisher: Costen Inst Archaeology Press, 2008

Synopsis

During the Late Intermediate period (AD 1100-1470), the lower Cañete Valley of Peru was controlled by the walled Kingdom of Huarco. While inland sites produced irrigated crops, the seaside community of Cerro Azul, 130 km south of Lima, produced fish for the rest of the kingdom. Cerro Azul's noble families lived in large, multipurpose compounds with tapia walls. Their pottery had its strongest ties with valleys to the south, such as Chincha and Ica. During the course of excavation, the University of Michigan Project excavated two tapia buildings in their entirety, saving every sherd from every room, walled work area, feature, and midden. This remarkable volume is the final site report on the architecture and pottery of Late Intermediate Cerro Azul.

This volume was awarded the prestigious Jo Anne Stolaroff Cotsen Prize Imprint.

About this title

Product Description:

During the Late Intermediate period (AD 1100-1470), the lower Cafiete Valley of Peru was controlled by the walled Kingdom of Huarco. While inland sites produced irrigated crops, the seaside community of Cerro Azul, 130 km south of Lima, produced fish for the rest of the kingdom. Cerro Azul's noble families lived in large, multipurpose compounds with tapia walls. Their pottery had its strongest tie...

Synopsis:

This volume is the final site report on the architecture and pottery of Late Intermediate Cerro Azul. During the course of excavation, the University of Michigan Project excavated two tapia buildings in their entirety, saving every sherd from every room, walled work area, feature, and midden. The Project determined the function of every room, including those whose functions changed over time, owing to seismic damage. The types of rooms include residential (both elite and commoner), general storage, a kitchen/brewery with large-scale production of chichi, a guinea pig pen, specialized fish storage rooms, and open courts for weaving. The Cerro Azul pottery was analyzed using the type-variety system, with petrographic analyses of local and nonlocal varieties by James Stoltman. The percentages of pottery types varied room by room, not only chronologically but also according to room function. Primary, secondary, and tertiary deposits were distinguished and showed quantifiable differences.Every sherd from every room of every excavated building was classified and counted, including not only the decorated vessels but also all the utilitarian wares, which were often omitted in earlier Andean studies.

The "Cerro Azul" volume is extensively illustrated, showing both the details of the tapia architecture and the individual pottery collections from each room and midden.

About this edition

• Publisher: Costen Inst Archaeology Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1931745552
• ISBN 13: 9781931745550
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 450