Prehispanic household and empire at Lukurmata, Bolivia. (Volumes I and II).

Abstract

Between the 9th and 12th centuries AD, the Tiwanaku state dominated the south-central Andean highlands. This research examines the Tiwanaku polity from the perspective of the provincial site of Lukurmata, Bolivia. Incorporation into the Tiwanaku state was only a stage in Lukurmata's long history and this study focuses on how incorporation affected the residents of Lukurmata. A sequence of superimposed housefloors spanning the years 200 BC to AD 1500 provide a view of the evolution of domestic architecture, household activities, and interaction with other sites before, during and after inclusion in the Tiwanaku sphere. The data pertaining to household life are supplemented by investigation of outdoor activity areas, agricultural features, burials, and ceremonial contexts at the site. After outlining Lukurmata's initial settlement, this study assesses, period by period, the type and degree of Lukurmata's interaction with Tiwanaku, as well as changes and continuity in household patterns. Lukurmata grew from an independent hamlet to a Tiwanaku administrative center, yet even when most closely tied to Tiwanaku politically and economically, many local traditions at the household level were maintained. There was little change over time in the variety of domestic activities, although there were significant shifts in the ways these activities were organized. Despite the strong continuity seen in certain aspects of household life, there were also important changes in domestic organization, some linked to Lukurmata's evolving role in the Tiwanaku state. Among these were the addition of new household activities, and increased differentiation between individual households. After new 12th century AD collapse of the Tiwanaku state, household organization at Lukurmata reverted to a pre-Tiwanaku pattern. That changes at the household level did not always coincide with changes in the composition of the settlement as a whole, or in Lukurmata's relationship with the Tiwanaku state, demonstrates the potential for new insights into prehispanic sociopolitical process provided by household archaeology.