Huarpa

Huarpa was an ancient culture that flourished during the Early Intermediate period (circa 1-550) in the Peruvian central highland valley of Ayacucho. The culture is distinguished for its black-and-white ceramics, which are found scattered on the surface of many archaeological sites throughout the valley. Huarpa settlement patterns strongly indicate that this was an agricultural society. Most of the known Huarpa settlements are found below the elevation of 3,300 meters, often on hillsides, overlooking irrigable land, but rarely on agriculturally fertile land. This evidence indicates that agricultural fields, which are scarce in the region, were carefully managed. Furthermore, the earliest terraces and irrigation canals were built by the Huarpa. The absence of fortified sites indicates that warfare or other kinds of conflict were not predominant in the region during this period. The occurrence of the same kind of bichrome pottery in all known Huarpa sites indicates that the inhabitants of the several settlements of the valley intermarried. Pottery appears to have been manufactured at each household level.

Huarpa established the economic foundation for the later development of the Huari state that emerged in the Ayacucho Valley and expanded throughout much of what is now Peru during the Middle Horizon period (circa 550–1000). Many Huari sites in the region grew out of Huarpa settlements. Despite the critical role played by Huarpa in the emergence of Huari, Huarpa remains little studied. Few Huarpa sites have been investigated; an exception is Ñawinpukyo, regarded as the main Huarpa settlement. Archaeological excavations at Ñawinpukyo indicate that one of the critical aspects of Huarpa society was the worship of sacred mountains, a tradition that continues in the region to the present. Other Huarpa sites deserve to be investigated toward the goal of fully comprehending the cultural dynamics in the region prior to the emergence of the Huari state.

See alsoAndes; Archaeology; Huari.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Leoni, Juan B. "La Veneración de montañas en los Andes preincaicos: El caso de Ñawinpukyo (Ayacucho, Perú) en el período Intermedio Temprano." Chungara 37, no. 2 (2005): 151-164.

Lumbreras, Luis Guillermo. Las fundaciones de Huamanga: Hacia una prehistoria de Ayacucho. Lima: Club Huamanga, 1975.

Schreiber, Katharina J. Wari Imperialism in Middle Horizon Peru. Anthropological Papers 87. Ann Arbor: Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, 1992.

Valdez, Lidio M. "The Early Intermediate Period beyond the Ayacucho Valley, Peru." In Debating Complexity: Proceedings of the Twenty-sixth Annual Chacmool Conference, edited by D. A. Meyer, P. C. Dawson, and D. T. Hanna, pp. 600-606. Calgary, Alberta: Archaeological Association of the University of Calgary, 1996.

Valdez, Lidio M. "Ecology and Ceramic Production in an Andean Community: A Reconsideration of the Evidence." Journal of Anthropological Research 53, no. 1 (1997): 65-85.

                                Lidio M. Valdez