Jahuay: Maritime Specialization in a Littoral Topara Community (200 BC-AD 150)

Abstract

This study presents the results of new archaeological excavations at Jahuay, a Topará maritime community located near Chincha, Peru which was occupied circa 200 BC–AD 150. This work provides new insights into the regional development of complementary community specialization, a unique economic system which has been ethnographically and archaeologically recognized through previous work on the Peruvian coast. Excavation at Jahuay evaluated the organization of production and evidence of maritime specialization. I conclude that the Jahuay was home to a community of full-time maritime specialists who engaged in diverse subsistence activities including fishing, shellfish collection, and hunting of marine birds and mammals. These products were not only consumed locally but were also preserved for exchange within a regional economic system. Jahuay residents also practiced limited horticulture to produce their own cotton and bottle gourds. This study contributes to ongoing conversations about diverse economic strategies across maritime communities in the prehispanic Andes. Furthermore, as the earliest undisputed Topará site, excavations at Jahuay present an opportunity to examine the development of the Topará tradition and its relationship with Paracas. The appearance of Topará coincides with a period of major social transformation, known as the Paracas-Nasca Transition or the Necropolis Era, during which time Paracas, Nasca, and Topará communities interacted and competed with one another in the valleys of the Peruvian south coast. Radiocarbon dates from Jahuay challenge previous theories that Topará was a foreign invasive force that contributed to the decline and eventual demise of Paracas. I demonstrate that the Topará occupation of Jahuay post-dated the ritual closure of Paracas politico-ceremonial centers in the neighboring Chincha Valley. While Topará affiliated groups undoubtedly figured in the transformation of south coast societies during the final centuries BC, I suggest instead that the Topará tradition was developed by local populations that had formerly been aligned with Paracas.