An Archaeological Investigation of Ethnicity at Las Varas, Peru.

Abstract

How can archaeologists identity different ethnic groups using only their material remains? To investigate interaction and exchange between ethnic groups in the Andes, I excavated Las Varas, an 11th-century village in the Jequetepeque Valley, northern Peru. This dissertation presents the results of my excavation (which uncovered houses, plazas, burials, and a ritual platform) and provides information on the daily life, ceremony, and burial traditions of the inhabitants of Las Varas.

The presence of cist tombs, stone jambs next to entrances, and large quantities of painted bowls at Las Varas indicates influence from the highland culture of Cajamarca. Coastal-style pottery was found concentrated in the western entrance of Las Varas in a ritual platform. Plazas and cist tombs were found at the southern edge of the site, next to a trail that led to the highlands. A cemetery in the northeastern corner of Las Varas yielded three graves with seated individuals accompanied by coastal or Lambayeque-style pottery. From these results I argue that we can detect differences between ethnic groups by using evidence from different contexts such as residences, cemeteries, and ceremonial plazas. The synthesis of such disparate kinds of data provide us with an integrated picture of the process by which ethnic identity was constructed and maintained in the community.