I graduated with my PhD in December of 2018 from Louisiana State University, where my dissertation focused on broader regional survey and excavation at the Cosma Complex, located in the upper Nepena River Valley of Ancash, Peru. The site of Cosma is located in the Santa district of Ancash, at the headwaters of the Nepena River on the western flank of the Cordillera Negra mountains. My work there focuses predominantly on Late Preceramic (Mito/Kotosh) through Early Horizon ritual architecture. I also have an interest in long term landscape use, persistent places, pilgrimage sites and religious syncretism. Address: New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico
El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeñ... more El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeña, distrito de Cáceres del Perú, provincia de Santa, departamento de Ancash, ha sido objeto de nuestras investigaciones durante los años 2014, 2015 y 2016. Las últimas excavaciones ejecutadas en el montículo menor denominado Acshipucoto, han demostrado una larga secuencia de ocupación del montículo, que abarcarían desde el Precerámico (-900 años a.C.) hasta el Periodo Intermedio Tardío (1000-1475 d.C.). La presencia de un recinto circular hundido de piedra canteada, con escalera de acceso, banqueta circular interior y fogón central, similar a otros recintos hundidos de la región como Kotosh en Huánuco y La Galgada al noreste de Ancash asociado a recintos menores con esquinas curvadas, además de la ausencia absoluta de cerámica en los niveles más inferiores, sugieren un origen muy temprano de su construcción. Sin embargo, restos de arquitectura megalítica en la cima del montículo, entierros intrusivos y cerámica típica de los estilos regionales Casma, Chimú y Recuay en los niveles superficiales, demuestran una prolongada secuencia de ocupación. Por otro lado, la arquitectura superficial y la cerámica con características de estilos Casma, Chimú y Recuay proveniente de las excavaciones realizadas en la zona residencial de Kunka ubicado en la cima de una colina, al sur de los montículos de Acshipucoto y Kareycoto respectivamente sugieren que esta zona fue ocupada durante el Periodo Intermedio Tardío, y a la vez se han descartado niveles más tempranos de ocupación en esta área.
En este documento presentamos los resultados preliminares
de las últimas investigaciones del Proy... more En este documento presentamos los resultados preliminares de las últimas investigaciones del Proyecto de investigación arqueológica del distrito de Cáceres, Ancash (PIADCA). Estos resultados están enfocados en el estudio del montículo Acshipucoto del complejo arqueológico Cosma, realizado durante las excavaciones de la Temporada 2014. Las excavaciones arqueológicas han demostrado que el montículo creció horizontal y verticalmente a través de una secuencia ocupacional que abarcaría desde el periodo Precerámico Final o Arcaico Tardío (c. 3000-1800 a.C.) hasta el periodo Intermedio Tardío (c. 900-1475 d.C.).
El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeñ... more El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeña, distrito de Cáceres del Perú, provincia de Santa, departamento de Ancash, ha sido objeto de nuestras investigaciones durante los años 2014 y 2015.
Poster presented at the poster session, organized by David Chicoine at the 4th Biennual Meeting o... more Poster presented at the poster session, organized by David Chicoine at the 4th Biennual Meeting of the Society for Amazonian and Andean Studies Conference, Baton Rouge, LA, September 26th-27th.
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a 2013 survey of the Upper Nepena River Valley in Ancash, Peru. Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the river, Cosma’s Pre-historic remains include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The 2014 pilot study revealed a substantial Initial Period through Early Horizon occupation with a Pre-Ceramic date reported from an excavated circular room within the smaller mound. This poster presents the preliminary results from the 2015 season of excavations and intensive surface survey. Overall, results from the 2014 and 2015 seasons bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
Poster presented at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisc... more Poster presented at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, CA, April 15th-19th.
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a survey in the summer of 2013, outside of the small community of Cosma, Peru. Cosma is located 2600 M.A.S.L at the headwaters of the Nepeña river valley, in the Department of Ancash. This past season was the first to map and excavate within the site complex, which includes three Early Horizon temple mounds, a domestic area, and a hilltop fortress. The 2014 work focused on the main mound of Karecoto, a multi-storied ceremonial mound, and the smaller mound known as Ashipucoto. Preliminary data points to the earliest construction of the site to the Initial Period, with a final capping episode at Karecoto during the Early Horizon. Testing at Ashipucoto reveals that it was utilized from the Early Horizon well into the Late Intermediate Period. This poster will present on a sample of the first year’s findings that include the a tradition of circular walls and rooms throughout the site, and the interments of four children and an underground gallery going through a quadrant of the main mound center of Karecoto.
Paper included in the general session organized by John Janusek at the 43rd Annual Midwest Andean... more Paper included in the general session organized by John Janusek at the 43rd Annual Midwest Andean Conference, Nashville, TN, February 28th-March 1st.
Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the Nepeña River, the Cosma Archaeological Complex was first reported by a team of LSU archaeologists in 2013. The prehistoric remains at Cosma include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The small basin, which contains most of the site components, has witnessed repeated episodes of occupations spanning the Initial Period through the Spanish conquest. In this paper I present results of our mapping efforts as well as initial excavation data to evaluate the presence of the Cosma complex as a persistent place in the surrounding region. Overall, results of the 2014 season bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
This paper explores regional developments after the demise of the Chavín phenomenon in coastal An... more This paper explores regional developments after the demise of the Chavín phenomenon in coastal Ancash, north-central Peru, during the second half of the first millennium B.C. At that time, complex societies along the coast of Peru experienced profound reorganizations including the emergence of a series of communities integrated at through multi-scalar social, economic, and political networks. We focus on the Nepeña Valley of coastal Ancash, a region traditionally associated with the hegemony of Chavín. Here, recent research has brought significant data to assess the sociopolitical climate after the loss of Chavín religio-political influence. We are particularly interested in exploring the diversity of human strategies in response to the reorganization of inter-regional interactions. Within the past decade, work at the sites of Huambacho, Caylán, Samanco, Kushipampa and the surrounding Moro pocket have pointed to two distinct political traditions occupying the upper and lower valley, respectively. These differing traditions are illustrated by distinct settlement patterns, and spatial distributions of sites, as well as differing architectural techniques and ceramic styles. We explore how these two cultural spheres negotiated the processes of balkanization following the demise of Chavín, and compare their strategies to other regions in Peru.
Included in the symposium “Beyond the Horizons: Exploring Social Integration during Periods of Regional Diversity” organized by Matthew Velasco and Lauren Kohut held at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Austin, April 23-27.
Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as a case study, this paper reexamines ancient roads and trade netw... more Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as a case study, this paper reexamines ancient roads and trade networks in north-central Peru. Through least cost path analyses, we reassess potential patterns of interregional interactions focusing on the Early Horizon (800-1 BC). Results suggest the existence of three major axes of coast-highland roads along the Loco, Salitre and Jimbe branches of the upper Nepeña. Preliminary survey of the Jimbe branch in July 2014 has confirmed the importance of the area to study trade networks during the Early Horizon. Yet, the discovery of a major settlement in the Cosma Basin away from the least-cost paths forces us to reevaluate traditional models of interactions and associated roadways. Finally, we report of the recently discovered Cosma complex and its implications for the study of coast-highland interactions during the first millennium BC.
Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2014
This paper, co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine, explores regional developments afte... more This paper, co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine, explores regional developments after the demise of the Chavín phenomenon in coastal Ancash, north-central Peru, during the second half of the first millennium B.C. At that time, complex societies along the coast of Peru experienced profound reorganizations including the emergence of a series of communities integrated at through multi-scalar social, economic, and political networks. We focus on the Nepeña Valley of coastal Ancash, a region traditionally associated with the hegemony of Chavín. Here, recent research has brought significant data to assess the sociopolitical climate after the loss of Chavín religio-political influence. We are particularly interested in exploring the diversity of human strategies in response to the reorganization of inter-regional interactions. Within the past decade, work at the sites of Huambacho, Caylán, Samanco, Kushipampa and the surrounding Moro pocket have pointed to two distinct political traditions occupying the upper and lower valley, respectively. These differing traditions are illustrated by distinct settlement patterns, and spatial distributions of sites, as well as differing architectural techniques and ceramic styles. We explore how these two cultural spheres negotiated the processes of balkanization following the demise of Chavín, and compare their strategies to other regions in Peru.
Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2013
This poster is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. The site of Caylán, which measur... more This poster is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. The site of Caylán, which measures 80 hectares in its monumental core, is a Late and Final Formative (800-1 BCE) center located 15km inland in the lower Nepeña Valley, coastal Ancash. Several hundred grinding stones were mapped using GPS in and around the site of Caylán during the summer of 2012. This poster presents the results of a spatial analysis conducted (using the Arc10 suite) on the three different categories of grinding stones, including; manos, batanes, and chungos. Stone material, form, size, and location as well as spatial clustering of the stones are analyzed to determine plant processing, ritual use, and domestic areas of the site. We pay particular attention to the architectural and spatial contexts associated with the use and discard of the stone tools, and their meanings to understand urban production and consumption during the Early Horizon.
Meeting of the Southeast Society for Amazonian and Andean Studies, 2013
This paper is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as ... more This paper is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as a case study, this paper reexamines ancient roads and trade networks in north-central Peru. Through least cost path analyses, we reassess potential patterns of interregional interactions focusing on the Early Horizon (800-1 BC). Results suggest the existence of three major axes of coast-highland roads along the Loco, Salitre and Jimbe branches of the upper Nepeña. Preliminary survey of the Jimbe branch in July 2014 has confirmed the importance of the area to study trade networks during the Early Horizon. Yet, the discovery of a major settlement in the Cosma Basin away from the least-cost paths forces us to reevaluate traditional models of interactions and associated roadways. Finally, we report of the recently discovered Cosma complex and its implications for the study of coast-highland interactions during the first millennium BC.
MATTIAS BORG RASMUSSEN'S WORK IN Andean Waterways explores how a changing climate is enmeshed in ... more MATTIAS BORG RASMUSSEN'S WORK IN Andean Waterways explores how a changing climate is enmeshed in all aspects of everyday life. Rasmussen's ethnography takes place in the Department of Ancash, Peru, in the town of Recuay and its surrounding communities and hamlets. Situated in the Callejón de Huaylas, a highland valley flanked by the mountains of the Cordillera Negra to the west, and stunning views of the Cordillera Blanca to the east, Andean Waterways is an ethnography structured around the question of how a changing climate is affecting the Santa River and its tributaries.
Rasmussen, based at the University of Copenhagen, utilizes water to frame the complex relationship between Andean peasant communities and municipal and state governments. Water dynamics, specifically, are not part of the same infrastructure at the local level that they are at the state level, having been formed from centuries of water control at the local level in agro-pastoral Andean communities. Receding glaciers and the transformation of the Santa River's "beautiful flow" to a now unpredictable "devil river" (p. 32), further complicates matters. Andean Waterways highlights the conversations, local politics, and actions taken at the human scale within communities on the forefront of this global problem.
This dissertation focuses on the Cosma Complex, a multi-component archaeological site located at ... more This dissertation focuses on the Cosma Complex, a multi-component archaeological site located at the headwaters of the Nepeña River, on the western slopes of the Cordillera Negra in the modern Department of Ancash, Peru. The overarching goal of this study is to understand not only Cosma’s influence as a religious center within the Nepeña Valley and the surrounding region, but its recurring occupation over a 5000-year time span and its role in religious networks within the valley through its function as a cultural landscape resource or persistent place.
The Cosma complex extends over 250 hectares and includes two multi-storied temple mounds, a megalithic hilltop fortress, domestic areas, agricultural terraces, above ground tombs, and carved stonework. The center is geographically located in a propitious locale, 2650 meters above sea level (masl) in a flat mountain basin at the start of the Cosma branch of the Nepeña River. Cosma’s construction in a geographically isolated basin at the headwaters of the valley may have added weight to its status as a ceremonial center, allowing it to function as a pilgrimage center.
Through field survey and archaeological excavations as well as the analysis of material remains, this dissertation; (1) reconstructs the site’s occupational sequence, (2) explores its spatial organization and architectural forms through time, and (3) documents associated material remains in order to reconstruct cultural and religious affiliations. These lines of evidence are used to discuss Late Preceramic religious developments, in particular a significant Kotosh-Mito presence.
Located in a transitional zone, between the highlands and the coast, the Cosma complex has been interpreted as an important center for studying Late Preceramic architectural styles. Utilizing Cosma as a case-study, this dissertation re-evaluates the criteria previously established for Mito and “pre-Mito” structures, paying attention to localized variations of the tradition, as opposed to chronological markers. Following the Late Preceramic use at the Cosma complex, the mounds again functioned as a stage for ceremonial practice during the Early Horizon Period and Middle Horizon for burial purposes. This dissertation presents this data under the auspice of persistent place and ritual gathering within the basin.
El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeñ... more El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeña, distrito de Cáceres del Perú, provincia de Santa, departamento de Ancash, ha sido objeto de nuestras investigaciones durante los años 2014, 2015 y 2016. Las últimas excavaciones ejecutadas en el montículo menor denominado Acshipucoto, han demostrado una larga secuencia de ocupación del montículo, que abarcarían desde el Precerámico (-900 años a.C.) hasta el Periodo Intermedio Tardío (1000-1475 d.C.). La presencia de un recinto circular hundido de piedra canteada, con escalera de acceso, banqueta circular interior y fogón central, similar a otros recintos hundidos de la región como Kotosh en Huánuco y La Galgada al noreste de Ancash asociado a recintos menores con esquinas curvadas, además de la ausencia absoluta de cerámica en los niveles más inferiores, sugieren un origen muy temprano de su construcción. Sin embargo, restos de arquitectura megalítica en la cima del montículo, entierros intrusivos y cerámica típica de los estilos regionales Casma, Chimú y Recuay en los niveles superficiales, demuestran una prolongada secuencia de ocupación. Por otro lado, la arquitectura superficial y la cerámica con características de estilos Casma, Chimú y Recuay proveniente de las excavaciones realizadas en la zona residencial de Kunka ubicado en la cima de una colina, al sur de los montículos de Acshipucoto y Kareycoto respectivamente sugieren que esta zona fue ocupada durante el Periodo Intermedio Tardío, y a la vez se han descartado niveles más tempranos de ocupación en esta área.
En este documento presentamos los resultados preliminares
de las últimas investigaciones del Proy... more En este documento presentamos los resultados preliminares de las últimas investigaciones del Proyecto de investigación arqueológica del distrito de Cáceres, Ancash (PIADCA). Estos resultados están enfocados en el estudio del montículo Acshipucoto del complejo arqueológico Cosma, realizado durante las excavaciones de la Temporada 2014. Las excavaciones arqueológicas han demostrado que el montículo creció horizontal y verticalmente a través de una secuencia ocupacional que abarcaría desde el periodo Precerámico Final o Arcaico Tardío (c. 3000-1800 a.C.) hasta el periodo Intermedio Tardío (c. 900-1475 d.C.).
El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeñ... more El complejo arqueológico de Cosma ubicado a 2,500msnm en la cabecera de cuenca del valle de Nepeña, distrito de Cáceres del Perú, provincia de Santa, departamento de Ancash, ha sido objeto de nuestras investigaciones durante los años 2014 y 2015.
Poster presented at the poster session, organized by David Chicoine at the 4th Biennual Meeting o... more Poster presented at the poster session, organized by David Chicoine at the 4th Biennual Meeting of the Society for Amazonian and Andean Studies Conference, Baton Rouge, LA, September 26th-27th.
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a 2013 survey of the Upper Nepena River Valley in Ancash, Peru. Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the river, Cosma’s Pre-historic remains include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The 2014 pilot study revealed a substantial Initial Period through Early Horizon occupation with a Pre-Ceramic date reported from an excavated circular room within the smaller mound. This poster presents the preliminary results from the 2015 season of excavations and intensive surface survey. Overall, results from the 2014 and 2015 seasons bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
Poster presented at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisc... more Poster presented at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, San Francisco, CA, April 15th-19th.
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a survey in the summer of 2013, outside of the small community of Cosma, Peru. Cosma is located 2600 M.A.S.L at the headwaters of the Nepeña river valley, in the Department of Ancash. This past season was the first to map and excavate within the site complex, which includes three Early Horizon temple mounds, a domestic area, and a hilltop fortress. The 2014 work focused on the main mound of Karecoto, a multi-storied ceremonial mound, and the smaller mound known as Ashipucoto. Preliminary data points to the earliest construction of the site to the Initial Period, with a final capping episode at Karecoto during the Early Horizon. Testing at Ashipucoto reveals that it was utilized from the Early Horizon well into the Late Intermediate Period. This poster will present on a sample of the first year’s findings that include the a tradition of circular walls and rooms throughout the site, and the interments of four children and an underground gallery going through a quadrant of the main mound center of Karecoto.
Paper included in the general session organized by John Janusek at the 43rd Annual Midwest Andean... more Paper included in the general session organized by John Janusek at the 43rd Annual Midwest Andean Conference, Nashville, TN, February 28th-March 1st.
Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the Nepeña River, the Cosma Archaeological Complex was first reported by a team of LSU archaeologists in 2013. The prehistoric remains at Cosma include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The small basin, which contains most of the site components, has witnessed repeated episodes of occupations spanning the Initial Period through the Spanish conquest. In this paper I present results of our mapping efforts as well as initial excavation data to evaluate the presence of the Cosma complex as a persistent place in the surrounding region. Overall, results of the 2014 season bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
This paper explores regional developments after the demise of the Chavín phenomenon in coastal An... more This paper explores regional developments after the demise of the Chavín phenomenon in coastal Ancash, north-central Peru, during the second half of the first millennium B.C. At that time, complex societies along the coast of Peru experienced profound reorganizations including the emergence of a series of communities integrated at through multi-scalar social, economic, and political networks. We focus on the Nepeña Valley of coastal Ancash, a region traditionally associated with the hegemony of Chavín. Here, recent research has brought significant data to assess the sociopolitical climate after the loss of Chavín religio-political influence. We are particularly interested in exploring the diversity of human strategies in response to the reorganization of inter-regional interactions. Within the past decade, work at the sites of Huambacho, Caylán, Samanco, Kushipampa and the surrounding Moro pocket have pointed to two distinct political traditions occupying the upper and lower valley, respectively. These differing traditions are illustrated by distinct settlement patterns, and spatial distributions of sites, as well as differing architectural techniques and ceramic styles. We explore how these two cultural spheres negotiated the processes of balkanization following the demise of Chavín, and compare their strategies to other regions in Peru.
Included in the symposium “Beyond the Horizons: Exploring Social Integration during Periods of Regional Diversity” organized by Matthew Velasco and Lauren Kohut held at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Austin, April 23-27.
Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as a case study, this paper reexamines ancient roads and trade netw... more Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as a case study, this paper reexamines ancient roads and trade networks in north-central Peru. Through least cost path analyses, we reassess potential patterns of interregional interactions focusing on the Early Horizon (800-1 BC). Results suggest the existence of three major axes of coast-highland roads along the Loco, Salitre and Jimbe branches of the upper Nepeña. Preliminary survey of the Jimbe branch in July 2014 has confirmed the importance of the area to study trade networks during the Early Horizon. Yet, the discovery of a major settlement in the Cosma Basin away from the least-cost paths forces us to reevaluate traditional models of interactions and associated roadways. Finally, we report of the recently discovered Cosma complex and its implications for the study of coast-highland interactions during the first millennium BC.
Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2014
This paper, co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine, explores regional developments afte... more This paper, co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine, explores regional developments after the demise of the Chavín phenomenon in coastal Ancash, north-central Peru, during the second half of the first millennium B.C. At that time, complex societies along the coast of Peru experienced profound reorganizations including the emergence of a series of communities integrated at through multi-scalar social, economic, and political networks. We focus on the Nepeña Valley of coastal Ancash, a region traditionally associated with the hegemony of Chavín. Here, recent research has brought significant data to assess the sociopolitical climate after the loss of Chavín religio-political influence. We are particularly interested in exploring the diversity of human strategies in response to the reorganization of inter-regional interactions. Within the past decade, work at the sites of Huambacho, Caylán, Samanco, Kushipampa and the surrounding Moro pocket have pointed to two distinct political traditions occupying the upper and lower valley, respectively. These differing traditions are illustrated by distinct settlement patterns, and spatial distributions of sites, as well as differing architectural techniques and ceramic styles. We explore how these two cultural spheres negotiated the processes of balkanization following the demise of Chavín, and compare their strategies to other regions in Peru.
Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2013
This poster is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. The site of Caylán, which measur... more This poster is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. The site of Caylán, which measures 80 hectares in its monumental core, is a Late and Final Formative (800-1 BCE) center located 15km inland in the lower Nepeña Valley, coastal Ancash. Several hundred grinding stones were mapped using GPS in and around the site of Caylán during the summer of 2012. This poster presents the results of a spatial analysis conducted (using the Arc10 suite) on the three different categories of grinding stones, including; manos, batanes, and chungos. Stone material, form, size, and location as well as spatial clustering of the stones are analyzed to determine plant processing, ritual use, and domestic areas of the site. We pay particular attention to the architectural and spatial contexts associated with the use and discard of the stone tools, and their meanings to understand urban production and consumption during the Early Horizon.
Meeting of the Southeast Society for Amazonian and Andean Studies, 2013
This paper is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as ... more This paper is co-authored by Kimberly Munro and David Chicoine. Focusing on the Nepeña Valley as a case study, this paper reexamines ancient roads and trade networks in north-central Peru. Through least cost path analyses, we reassess potential patterns of interregional interactions focusing on the Early Horizon (800-1 BC). Results suggest the existence of three major axes of coast-highland roads along the Loco, Salitre and Jimbe branches of the upper Nepeña. Preliminary survey of the Jimbe branch in July 2014 has confirmed the importance of the area to study trade networks during the Early Horizon. Yet, the discovery of a major settlement in the Cosma Basin away from the least-cost paths forces us to reevaluate traditional models of interactions and associated roadways. Finally, we report of the recently discovered Cosma complex and its implications for the study of coast-highland interactions during the first millennium BC.
MATTIAS BORG RASMUSSEN'S WORK IN Andean Waterways explores how a changing climate is enmeshed in ... more MATTIAS BORG RASMUSSEN'S WORK IN Andean Waterways explores how a changing climate is enmeshed in all aspects of everyday life. Rasmussen's ethnography takes place in the Department of Ancash, Peru, in the town of Recuay and its surrounding communities and hamlets. Situated in the Callejón de Huaylas, a highland valley flanked by the mountains of the Cordillera Negra to the west, and stunning views of the Cordillera Blanca to the east, Andean Waterways is an ethnography structured around the question of how a changing climate is affecting the Santa River and its tributaries.
Rasmussen, based at the University of Copenhagen, utilizes water to frame the complex relationship between Andean peasant communities and municipal and state governments. Water dynamics, specifically, are not part of the same infrastructure at the local level that they are at the state level, having been formed from centuries of water control at the local level in agro-pastoral Andean communities. Receding glaciers and the transformation of the Santa River's "beautiful flow" to a now unpredictable "devil river" (p. 32), further complicates matters. Andean Waterways highlights the conversations, local politics, and actions taken at the human scale within communities on the forefront of this global problem.
This dissertation focuses on the Cosma Complex, a multi-component archaeological site located at ... more This dissertation focuses on the Cosma Complex, a multi-component archaeological site located at the headwaters of the Nepeña River, on the western slopes of the Cordillera Negra in the modern Department of Ancash, Peru. The overarching goal of this study is to understand not only Cosma’s influence as a religious center within the Nepeña Valley and the surrounding region, but its recurring occupation over a 5000-year time span and its role in religious networks within the valley through its function as a cultural landscape resource or persistent place.
The Cosma complex extends over 250 hectares and includes two multi-storied temple mounds, a megalithic hilltop fortress, domestic areas, agricultural terraces, above ground tombs, and carved stonework. The center is geographically located in a propitious locale, 2650 meters above sea level (masl) in a flat mountain basin at the start of the Cosma branch of the Nepeña River. Cosma’s construction in a geographically isolated basin at the headwaters of the valley may have added weight to its status as a ceremonial center, allowing it to function as a pilgrimage center.
Through field survey and archaeological excavations as well as the analysis of material remains, this dissertation; (1) reconstructs the site’s occupational sequence, (2) explores its spatial organization and architectural forms through time, and (3) documents associated material remains in order to reconstruct cultural and religious affiliations. These lines of evidence are used to discuss Late Preceramic religious developments, in particular a significant Kotosh-Mito presence.
Located in a transitional zone, between the highlands and the coast, the Cosma complex has been interpreted as an important center for studying Late Preceramic architectural styles. Utilizing Cosma as a case-study, this dissertation re-evaluates the criteria previously established for Mito and “pre-Mito” structures, paying attention to localized variations of the tradition, as opposed to chronological markers. Following the Late Preceramic use at the Cosma complex, the mounds again functioned as a stage for ceremonial practice during the Early Horizon Period and Middle Horizon for burial purposes. This dissertation presents this data under the auspice of persistent place and ritual gathering within the basin.
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Las últimas excavaciones ejecutadas en el montículo menor denominado Acshipucoto, han demostrado una larga secuencia de ocupación del montículo, que abarcarían desde el Precerámico (-900 años a.C.) hasta el Periodo Intermedio Tardío (1000-1475 d.C.). La presencia de un recinto circular hundido de piedra canteada, con escalera de acceso, banqueta circular interior y fogón central, similar a otros recintos hundidos de la región como Kotosh en Huánuco y La Galgada al noreste de Ancash asociado a recintos menores con esquinas curvadas, además de la ausencia absoluta de cerámica en los niveles más inferiores, sugieren un origen muy temprano de su construcción. Sin embargo, restos de arquitectura megalítica en la cima del montículo, entierros intrusivos y cerámica típica de los estilos regionales Casma, Chimú y Recuay en los niveles superficiales, demuestran una prolongada secuencia de ocupación.
Por otro lado, la arquitectura superficial y la cerámica con características de estilos Casma, Chimú y Recuay proveniente de las excavaciones realizadas en la zona residencial de Kunka ubicado en la cima de una colina, al sur de los montículos de Acshipucoto y Kareycoto respectivamente sugieren que esta zona fue ocupada durante el Periodo Intermedio Tardío, y a la vez se han descartado niveles más tempranos de ocupación en esta área.
de las últimas investigaciones del Proyecto
de investigación arqueológica del distrito de Cáceres,
Ancash (PIADCA). Estos resultados están enfocados
en el estudio del montículo Acshipucoto del complejo
arqueológico Cosma, realizado durante las excavaciones
de la Temporada 2014. Las excavaciones arqueológicas
han demostrado que el montículo creció horizontal y verticalmente
a través de una secuencia ocupacional que
abarcaría desde el periodo Precerámico Final o Arcaico
Tardío (c. 3000-1800 a.C.) hasta el periodo Intermedio
Tardío (c. 900-1475 d.C.).
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a 2013 survey of the Upper Nepena River Valley in Ancash, Peru. Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the river, Cosma’s Pre-historic remains include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The 2014 pilot study revealed a substantial Initial Period through Early Horizon occupation with a Pre-Ceramic date reported from an excavated circular room within the smaller mound. This poster presents the preliminary results from the 2015 season of excavations and intensive surface survey. Overall, results from the 2014 and 2015 seasons bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a survey in the summer of 2013, outside of the small community of Cosma, Peru. Cosma is located 2600 M.A.S.L at the headwaters of the Nepeña river valley, in the Department of Ancash. This past season was the first to map and excavate within the site complex, which includes three Early Horizon temple mounds, a domestic area, and a hilltop fortress. The 2014 work focused on the main mound of Karecoto, a multi-storied ceremonial mound, and the smaller mound known as Ashipucoto. Preliminary data points to the earliest construction of the site to the Initial Period, with a final capping episode at Karecoto during the Early Horizon. Testing at Ashipucoto reveals that it was utilized from the Early Horizon well into the Late Intermediate Period. This poster will present on a sample of the first year’s findings that include the a tradition of circular walls and rooms throughout the site, and the interments of four children and an underground gallery going through a quadrant of the main mound center of Karecoto.
Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the Nepeña River, the Cosma Archaeological Complex was first reported by a team of LSU archaeologists in 2013. The prehistoric remains at Cosma include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The small basin, which contains most of the site components, has witnessed repeated episodes of occupations spanning the Initial Period through the Spanish conquest. In this paper I present results of our mapping efforts as well as initial excavation data to evaluate the presence of the Cosma complex as a persistent place in the surrounding region. Overall, results of the 2014 season bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
Included in the symposium “Beyond the Horizons: Exploring Social Integration during Periods of Regional Diversity” organized by Matthew Velasco and Lauren Kohut held at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Austin, April 23-27.
Rasmussen, based at the University of Copenhagen, utilizes water to frame the complex relationship between Andean peasant communities and municipal and state governments. Water dynamics, specifically, are not part of the same infrastructure at the local level that they are at the state level, having been formed from centuries of water control at the local level in agro-pastoral Andean communities. Receding glaciers and the transformation of the Santa River's "beautiful flow" to a now unpredictable "devil river" (p. 32), further complicates matters. Andean Waterways highlights the conversations, local politics, and actions taken at the human scale within communities on the forefront of this global problem.
The Cosma complex extends over 250 hectares and includes two multi-storied temple mounds, a megalithic hilltop fortress, domestic areas, agricultural terraces, above ground tombs, and carved stonework. The center is geographically located in a propitious locale, 2650 meters above sea level (masl) in a flat mountain basin at the start of the Cosma branch of the Nepeña River. Cosma’s construction in a geographically isolated basin at the headwaters of the valley may have added weight to its status as a ceremonial center, allowing it to function as a pilgrimage center.
Through field survey and archaeological excavations as well as the analysis of material remains, this dissertation; (1) reconstructs the site’s occupational sequence, (2) explores its spatial organization and architectural forms through time, and (3) documents associated material remains in order to reconstruct cultural and religious affiliations. These lines of evidence are used to discuss Late Preceramic religious developments, in particular a significant Kotosh-Mito presence.
Located in a transitional zone, between the highlands and the coast, the Cosma complex has been interpreted as an important center for studying Late Preceramic architectural styles. Utilizing Cosma as a case-study, this dissertation re-evaluates the criteria previously established for Mito and “pre-Mito” structures, paying attention to localized variations of the tradition, as opposed to chronological markers. Following the Late Preceramic use at the Cosma complex, the mounds again functioned as a stage for ceremonial practice during the Early Horizon Period and Middle Horizon for burial purposes. This dissertation presents this data under the auspice of persistent place and ritual gathering within the basin.
Las últimas excavaciones ejecutadas en el montículo menor denominado Acshipucoto, han demostrado una larga secuencia de ocupación del montículo, que abarcarían desde el Precerámico (-900 años a.C.) hasta el Periodo Intermedio Tardío (1000-1475 d.C.). La presencia de un recinto circular hundido de piedra canteada, con escalera de acceso, banqueta circular interior y fogón central, similar a otros recintos hundidos de la región como Kotosh en Huánuco y La Galgada al noreste de Ancash asociado a recintos menores con esquinas curvadas, además de la ausencia absoluta de cerámica en los niveles más inferiores, sugieren un origen muy temprano de su construcción. Sin embargo, restos de arquitectura megalítica en la cima del montículo, entierros intrusivos y cerámica típica de los estilos regionales Casma, Chimú y Recuay en los niveles superficiales, demuestran una prolongada secuencia de ocupación.
Por otro lado, la arquitectura superficial y la cerámica con características de estilos Casma, Chimú y Recuay proveniente de las excavaciones realizadas en la zona residencial de Kunka ubicado en la cima de una colina, al sur de los montículos de Acshipucoto y Kareycoto respectivamente sugieren que esta zona fue ocupada durante el Periodo Intermedio Tardío, y a la vez se han descartado niveles más tempranos de ocupación en esta área.
de las últimas investigaciones del Proyecto
de investigación arqueológica del distrito de Cáceres,
Ancash (PIADCA). Estos resultados están enfocados
en el estudio del montículo Acshipucoto del complejo
arqueológico Cosma, realizado durante las excavaciones
de la Temporada 2014. Las excavaciones arqueológicas
han demostrado que el montículo creció horizontal y verticalmente
a través de una secuencia ocupacional que
abarcaría desde el periodo Precerámico Final o Arcaico
Tardío (c. 3000-1800 a.C.) hasta el periodo Intermedio
Tardío (c. 900-1475 d.C.).
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a 2013 survey of the Upper Nepena River Valley in Ancash, Peru. Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the river, Cosma’s Pre-historic remains include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The 2014 pilot study revealed a substantial Initial Period through Early Horizon occupation with a Pre-Ceramic date reported from an excavated circular room within the smaller mound. This poster presents the preliminary results from the 2015 season of excavations and intensive surface survey. Overall, results from the 2014 and 2015 seasons bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
The Cosma Archaeological Complex was first documented during a survey in the summer of 2013, outside of the small community of Cosma, Peru. Cosma is located 2600 M.A.S.L at the headwaters of the Nepeña river valley, in the Department of Ancash. This past season was the first to map and excavate within the site complex, which includes three Early Horizon temple mounds, a domestic area, and a hilltop fortress. The 2014 work focused on the main mound of Karecoto, a multi-storied ceremonial mound, and the smaller mound known as Ashipucoto. Preliminary data points to the earliest construction of the site to the Initial Period, with a final capping episode at Karecoto during the Early Horizon. Testing at Ashipucoto reveals that it was utilized from the Early Horizon well into the Late Intermediate Period. This poster will present on a sample of the first year’s findings that include the a tradition of circular walls and rooms throughout the site, and the interments of four children and an underground gallery going through a quadrant of the main mound center of Karecoto.
Located in the Cordillera Negra (at 2600 M.A.S.L) mountains at the headwaters of the Nepeña River, the Cosma Archaeological Complex was first reported by a team of LSU archaeologists in 2013. The prehistoric remains at Cosma include three platform temple mounds, a domestic area, agricultural terraces, and an Early Horizon hilltop fortress. The small basin, which contains most of the site components, has witnessed repeated episodes of occupations spanning the Initial Period through the Spanish conquest. In this paper I present results of our mapping efforts as well as initial excavation data to evaluate the presence of the Cosma complex as a persistent place in the surrounding region. Overall, results of the 2014 season bring significant insights into the development of a previously unknown locus for ceremonial life and monumental constructions in north-central Peru. This data allows for preliminary considerations of upper valley communities in the development and maintenance of inter-regional spheres of interaction during the Initial Period and Early Horizon.
Included in the symposium “Beyond the Horizons: Exploring Social Integration during Periods of Regional Diversity” organized by Matthew Velasco and Lauren Kohut held at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Austin, April 23-27.
Rasmussen, based at the University of Copenhagen, utilizes water to frame the complex relationship between Andean peasant communities and municipal and state governments. Water dynamics, specifically, are not part of the same infrastructure at the local level that they are at the state level, having been formed from centuries of water control at the local level in agro-pastoral Andean communities. Receding glaciers and the transformation of the Santa River's "beautiful flow" to a now unpredictable "devil river" (p. 32), further complicates matters. Andean Waterways highlights the conversations, local politics, and actions taken at the human scale within communities on the forefront of this global problem.
The Cosma complex extends over 250 hectares and includes two multi-storied temple mounds, a megalithic hilltop fortress, domestic areas, agricultural terraces, above ground tombs, and carved stonework. The center is geographically located in a propitious locale, 2650 meters above sea level (masl) in a flat mountain basin at the start of the Cosma branch of the Nepeña River. Cosma’s construction in a geographically isolated basin at the headwaters of the valley may have added weight to its status as a ceremonial center, allowing it to function as a pilgrimage center.
Through field survey and archaeological excavations as well as the analysis of material remains, this dissertation; (1) reconstructs the site’s occupational sequence, (2) explores its spatial organization and architectural forms through time, and (3) documents associated material remains in order to reconstruct cultural and religious affiliations. These lines of evidence are used to discuss Late Preceramic religious developments, in particular a significant Kotosh-Mito presence.
Located in a transitional zone, between the highlands and the coast, the Cosma complex has been interpreted as an important center for studying Late Preceramic architectural styles. Utilizing Cosma as a case-study, this dissertation re-evaluates the criteria previously established for Mito and “pre-Mito” structures, paying attention to localized variations of the tradition, as opposed to chronological markers. Following the Late Preceramic use at the Cosma complex, the mounds again functioned as a stage for ceremonial practice during the Early Horizon Period and Middle Horizon for burial purposes. This dissertation presents this data under the auspice of persistent place and ritual gathering within the basin.