Understanding the Socioeconomic Trajectory of Chavín de Huántar: A New Radiocarbon Sequence and Its Wider Implications

Abstract

This article proposes a new 14C chronology for the three-phase ceramic chronology from the settlement of Chavín de Huántar based on the AMS dating of collagen extracted from faunal remains recovered during my 1975 excavations. The chronometric estimates for the Chavín de Huántar ceramic chronology are as follows: Urabarriu Phase (950–800 cal BC), Chakinani Phase (800–700 cal BC), and Janabarriu Phase (700–400 cal BC). The new measurements confirm the sequence of the ceramic phases and indicate that the site was established around 950 cal BC and was abandoned by 400 cal BC. The results are consistent with the earlier hypothesis that the major developments at Chavín de Huántar largely postdate the Initial Period fluorescence of early coastal civilization during the second millennium BC, but they cast doubt on some current interpretations of the site's founding and cultural apogee.

A Paleogenomic Reconstruction of the Deep Population History of the Andes

“…We could not determine the directionality of gene flow due to a lack of very ancient South Peru Highlands individuals (Cuncaicha is further south than our later South Peru Highlands series and has ancestry more consistent with later Titicaca Basin individuals). A speculative possibility is that this admixture relates to the archaeologically documented Chavin sphere of influence ( Burger, 2019 ) that involved cultural interaction between the North Peru Highlands (Ancash) to at least the Ayacucho region (“ SouthPeruHighlands ” in this study) ∼2,900–2,350 BP as reflected in the exchange of goods like cinnabar and obsidian, and by a widespread shared material culture style manifest across the Central Andes between Jaen in the north and Ayacucho in the south and along the north-central Pacific coast ( Burger, 2008 , Burger, 2019 , Matsumoto et al., 2018 ). This scenario does not imply that the gene flow must have originated from Chavin, but that increased cultural and material exchange between the regions was accompanied by gene flow in one or both directions, although future work is necessary to test this hypothesis.…”

¿Cupisnique en la Sierra Central? Piezas de “Cupisnique Clásico” en Piquimina y Campanayuq Rumi

“…Considerando la proximidad entre Chavín de Huántar y la cuenca del Alto Huallaga, es ra-zonable suponer que antes de la fase Kotosh-Chavín, que se caracteriza por la fuerte influencia Chavín, ya existía un cierto nivel de contacto entre Chavín de Huántar y los sitios de la cuenca del Alto Huallaga (Matsumoto 2019b). de nivel pan-regional durante el Horizonte Temprano (Burger 1988(Burger , 1992(Burger , 2019…”

Diet During the Late Initial Period (1100–800 BC) in the Chavín Heartland: New Data from Canchas Uckro (North-Central Peru)

“…One locus of cultural development was the Conchucos region of north-central Peru. By the late second millennium BC, this area witnessed the formation and subsequent florescence of Chavín de Huántar (c.f., Burger 2019; Kembel and Haas 2015; Rick et al 2010), a large ceremonial and “proto-urban” center (Burger 1984). While much is known about its later occupation during the Janabarriu Phase (c. 800/700 and 500/400 BC), less is understood about the regional socioeconomic processes during the late second millennium BC when the site was first founded.…”

“…These investigations determined that Canchas Uckro functioned as a small ceremonial center and village settlement that was built in two principal construction phases dated between c. 1100 and 800/750 BC (Nesbitt 2023; Nesbitt and Ibarra Asencios 2023; Nesbitt et al 2021) (Supplemental Figure S1). The age of Canchas Uckro is significant because it was contemporary with the first phases of monument building (Kembel and Haas 2015; Rick et al 2010) and residential settlement (Burger 1984, 2019; Mesía-Montenegro 2022) at Chavín de Huántar. Furthermore, Canchas Uckro was abandoned around 800-750 BC (Nesbitt and Ibarra Asencios 2023) and coincides with the florescence of Chavín de Huántar during the Janabarriu Phase (c. 800/700-400 BC) (Burger 1984, 2019).…”