6 Gated Communities, Neighborhoods, and Modular Living at the Early Horizon Urban Center of Caylán, Peru

Abstract

This paper examines the shift to enclosed forms of residence and modular living in the context of emerging urbanism during the Early Horizon in the Nepeña Valley, north-central coast of Peru. During the local Nepeña phase (800-450 cal BCE), complex agrarian groups living in the lower portion of the coastal drainage interrupt constructions at ceremonial centers of the Chavín and Cupinisque religious traditions and relocate on the valley margins, most notably at Caylán (800-1 cal BCE). Regional data suggest that religio-political turmoil and increased conflicts played a significant role in the nucleation of human groups. Indeed, the following Samanco phase (450-150 cal BCE) is associated with the construction of extensive defensive structures and the relocation of human populations. Architectural data point to the existence of more than 40 gated complexes at Caylán. Based on preliminary excavation data, those are interpreted as multifunctional residences. This paper offers an empirical case study to evaluate the usefulness and flexibility of the concept of neighborhood in the context of co-resident gated communities. By examining the layout and planning of the Caylán settlement, and the architecture and spatial variability of its multifamily compounds, we consider potential forms of household, community, and neighborhood organizations. Based on excavation data and demographic estimations we explore the heuristic value of the concept of neighborhood to understand face-to-face interactions between members of the different gated communities. We suggest that those communities might be comparable to the house societies of anthropological literature. Regional data, meanwhile, suggest that groups merging at Caylán maintained hinterland connections including with agrarian and maritime communities. [Early Horizon, Peru, Urbanism, Spatial syntax, Neighborhood]

Ancient Lowland Maya neighborhoods: Average Nearest Neighbor analysis and kernel density models, environments, and urban scale

“…Drennan and Peterson [179], documented shifts in the clustering of households among numerous culture groups through time. Likewise, the clustering of households to form neighborhoods has been noted by many others [190][191][192].…”

“…prove useful is the Early Dynastic period (2500-2334 BCE) of Mesopotamia where Truex [190] noted clusters of houses, West Africa including Kirikongo and Jenne-Jeno (250 BCE-1400 CE), where spatially discrete clusters mounds were documented [191], or ancient Andean communities, where potentially clustered compounds were reported dating to the Initial Period to Early Horizon (1700-150 BCE) at Cayla ´n [192].…”

Form, structure and long-term Angkorian urbanism: A view from the Kok Phnov site (9th–10th century CE)

“…Angkorian urbanism contrasted with other well-documented archaeological urban case studies in some respects but resembled them in others. Multiple types of urban neighborhood (including planned modular temple neighborhoods) fused to create Angkor's capital city, in contrast to Teotihuacan (Manzanilla, 2015) and Early Horizon Peru (Chicoine and Whitten, 2019). As described elsewhere (Pacifico and Truex, 2019;Smith, 2010, 151), however, friction between top-down and bottom-up forces also shaped Angkorian urbanism: from temple laborers, students, and religious personnel, to founding elites and rulers.…”

“…The 9th-10th century temple communities were planned "modular" neighborhoods (sensu Chicoine and Whitten, 2019) that varied in size,…”