The archaeology of the Upper Amazon : complexity and interaction in the Andean tropical forest

This volume brings together archaeologists working in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia to construct a new prehistory of the Upper Amazon, outlining cultural developments from the late third millennium B.C. to the Inca Empire of the sixteenth century A.D. Encompassing the forested tropical slopes of the eastern Andes as well as Andean drainage systems that connect to the Amazon River basin, this vast region has been unevenly studied due to the restrictions of national borders, remote site locations, and limited interpretive models. __The Archaeology of the Upper Amazon__ unites and builds on recent field investigations that have found evidence of extensive interaction networks along the major rivers―Santiago, Marañon, Huallaga, and Ucayali. Chapters detail how these rivers facilitated the movement of people, resources, and ideas between the Andean highlands and the Amazonian lowlands. Contributors demonstrate that the Upper Amazon was not a peripheral zone but a locus for complex societal developments. Reaching across geographical, cultural, and political boundaries, this volume shows that the trajectory of Andean civilization cannot be fully understood without a nuanced perspective on the region’s diverse patterns of interaction with the Upper Amazon. This volume brings together archaeologists working in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia to construct a new prehistory of the Upper Amazon, outlining cultural developments from the late third millennium B.C. to the Inca Empire of the sixteenth century A.D. Encompassing the forested tropical slopes of the eastern Andes as well as Andean drainage systems that connect to the Amazon River basin, this vast region has been unevenly studied due to the restrictions of national borders, remote site locations, and limited interpretive models. The Archaeology of the Upper Amazon unites and builds on recent field investigations that have found evidence of extensive interaction networks along the major rivers—Santiago, Marañon, Huallaga, and Ucayali. Chapters detail how these rivers facilitated the movement of people, resources, and ideas between the Andean highlands and the Amazonian lowlands. Contributors demonstrate that the Upper Amazon was not a peripheral zone but a locus for complex societal developments. Reaching across geographical, cultural, and political boundaries, this volume shows that the trajectory of Andean civilization cannot be fully understood without a nuanced perspective on the region's diverse patterns of interaction with the Upper Amazon. Contributors: Ryan Hechler | Kenneth R. Young | J. Scott Raymond | Warren Deboer | Inge Schjellerup | Charles Hastings | Atsushi Yamamoto | Bebel Ibarra Asencios | Francisco Valdez | Jason Nesbitt | Warren B. Church | Sonia Alconini | Rachel Johnson | Ryan Clasby | Estanislao Pazmino Cover Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1. Introduction: Changing Perspectives on the Archaeology of the Upper Amazon 2. Ecology and Human Habitation of Andean Forests 3. A Record of Early Long-Distance Societal Interaction from Manachaqui Cave in Peru’s Northeastern Andes 4. The Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón Complex: The Unexpected Spirits of the Ceja 5. Emergence of Sociopolitical Complexity in Northern Peru: A Diachronic Perspective from the Huancabamba Valley 6. Connections between the Chavín Heartland and the Ceja de Selva in the Late Initial Period: New Perspectives from Canchas Uckro (1100–800 BC) 7. Monumentality and Social Complexity in the Upano Valley, Upper Amazon of Ecuador 8. Continuity and Interaction along the Eastern Edge of the Andes during the Central Andean Early Intermediate Period 9. Contested Territory: Pre-Hispanic Interethnic Contact/Conflict in the Lower Apurimac Valley, Peru 10. Herders in the Jungle: Beyond the Junín Plateau of Central Peru 11. Over the Andes and through Their Goods: Late Pre-Columbian Political Economic Relations in Northern Ecuador 12. The Cápac Ñan from Chachapoyas to the Tierra Adentro 13. The Guaraní Expansion in Southeastern Bolivia: Confronting the Inca Empire 14. Conclusion: Borderlines of Biology, Language, and Culture List of Contributors Index

This volume brings together archaeologists working in Ecuador,Peru, and Bolivia to construct a new prehistory of the UpperAmazon, outlining cultural developments from the late thirdmillennium B.C. to the Inca Empire of the sixteenth century A.D.Encompassing the forested tropical slopes of the eastern Andes aswell as Andean drainage systems that connect to the Amazon Riverbasin, this vast region has been unevenly studied due to therestrictions of national borders, remote site locations, andlimited interpretive models.

The Archaeology of the Upper Amazon unites and buildson recent field investigations that have found evidence ofextensive interaction networks along the major rivers-Santiago,Marañon, Huallaga, and Ucayali. Chapters detail how these riversfacilitated the movement of people, resources, and ideas betweenthe Andean highlands and the Amazonian lowlands. Contributorsdemonstrate that the Upper Amazon was not a peripheral zone but alocus for complex societal developments. Reaching acrossgeographical, cultural, and political boundaries, this volume showsthat the trajectory of Andean civilization cannot be fullyunderstood without a nuanced perspective on the region's diversepatterns of interaction with the Upper Amazon.