Patrick Phang Del Pozo
Pronouns: He/Him
Research Mentor(s): Matthew Brown
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Anthropology/University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology / LSA
Program:
Authors: Patrick Phang, Matthew Brown
Session: Session 6: 3:40 pm – 4:30 pm
Poster: 98
Abstract
Despite its historically significant status as the capital of the powerful Inka Empire, the region of Cusco, in Peru, has remained remarkably understudied in terms of the numerous societies that occupied it prior to the empire’s ascension by the 15th century CE. The Late Formative (600 BCE – 200 CE) emerges as one of the least investigated periods within Cusco’s extensive habitational history. However, recent archaeological findings suggest substantial sociocultural and economic transformations throughout the region, marked by the emergence of increasingly complex political centers and the expansion of interregional trade and exchange networks. By utilizing archaeological data from the site of “Muyumoqo”, in the Chit’apampa basin, this research project intends to compare and contrast contemporary archaeological sites in Cusco and provide potential interpretations to understand the causes and effects of these transformations. This residential site is hypothesized to have also been an important economic and political center during the Late Formative, as suggested by diversified remains of camelid bones, ceramics and enigmatic ritualistic stone boxes or hearths found beneath the site’s residential settlements.
