An Introduction to Chiripa and the Site Area CHRISTINE A. HASTORF T HIS MONOGRAPH reports on the first phase onset of permanent settlement and agriculture of the Taraco Archaeological Project (TAP) throughout the Andes; and it is the elaboration of at the site of Chiripa (the field seasons were in these social processes that have drawn us to study 1992 and 1996). From the work of Wendell this early center and its evidence of daily life. Bennett and Max Portugal Zamora in the 1930s, This Formative-Initial/Early Horizon period Alfred Kidder III and Gregorio Cordero Miranda in the altiplano of the south-central Andes was a in the 1950s, and David Browman in the 1970s we time of increased human evidence on the high have learned about the central mound of the site. altiplano landscape. We see communities for the This mound has at least three levels of building first time, domesticated plants, new pottery and probably was in use between 1500 B.C. on up technologies, metallurgy, and architecture. This into the Tiwanaku times. The architecture that is same region became the locus for the longest-lived visible on the surface of the mound today is an center in the pre-Colombian Andes, Tiwanaku. early Tiwanaku monolith-lined courtyard. Chiripa While archaeological work has been completed in is especially important to Andeanists because it is and around the Titicaca Basin for over one hun- close to the major imperial center of Tiwanaku, dred years, many questions still remain. The which became an important center for almost 1000 previous studies at Chiripa provide us with an years and was a major political entity in Andean outline of the major cultural trajectories and history. Chiripa is considered one of Tiwanaku's phases of the Formative (e.g., Bennett 1936; primary precursors. Chiripa must have been an Browman 1978, 1980, 1991; Chaivez 1988; Kidder important center during the early Formative phase 1956; Mohr 1966; Ponce 1970; Portugal Ortiz of Bolivian prehistory, with its large ritual center 1992). These inhabitants surely initiated many of overlooking the shores of Lake Titicaca and the the major cultural trajectories that have continued eastern string of snow-peaked mountains. The in the highlands up until today. Recent studies Formative phase, as it is called in Bolivian archae- have been initiated in several areas within the ology, spans 1500-100 B.C. This is the time of the Titicaca Lake Basin (figure 1), including 2 Earlv Settlement at Chiripa, Bolivia Tiwanaku and its valley (e.g., Kolata 1993, 1996; hierarchies; Platt 1987; Parssinen 1992). We Albarracin-Jordan and Mathews 1990), Lukurmata know that hierarchical structures within the (Bermann 1994), Wankarani (Bermann and Andean world exist in the nested, ever larger and Estevez 1995), and more recently on the Isla del more important mountain deities (wamanis, Sol (Stanish and Bauer 1996), the Copacabana Reinhard 1990) just as in nested ayllu (Aymara) Peninsula (Chaivez and Mohr Chaivez, pers. communities. There are hints of the existence and comm.), on the eastern shores of Lake Titicaca manipulation of these ideas in the past, for ex- (Faldin 1985; 1991; Lemuz pers. comm.; Paz S. ample, by the Inka who exploited local production pers. comm.), on the western slopes of the lake using 'reciprocal exchange' strategies to gain labor (Aldenderfer, pers. comm.), Tumatumani in the (Wachtel 1981). How did such concepts form and Juli-Pomata region (Stanish and Steadman 1994), develop at the onset of permanent community? and Camata in the Chucuito region of the Depart- ment of Puno, Peru (Steadman 1995). It is the THE TARACO ARCHAEOLOGICAL Formative times, at the onset of these traditions, PROJECT'S FIELD RESEARCH upon which we focus our investigations on the Taraco Peninsula. This is where the earliest This project's research addresses questions fluorescence of ritual centers and probably about the onset of political elaboration with a sedentism for the region are found. We chose to special interest in daily use of things and spaces. look for how daily life and ritual practice are Our research plan builds on what we have learned woven together. from the house excavations by the Chavezes on This period in the southern Titicaca Basin the Copacabana Peninsula (pers. comm.), prehistory is of special interest for we know that Bermann (1990 and 1994) and Janusek (1992, after the end of this sequence Tiwanaku became a 1994) at Lukurmata, but also the Tiwanaku IV-V major political, social, and religious center for the sequence at Tiwanaku itself (Janusek 1994). region, during the Tiwanaku III and IV times Furthermore we now have some detailed house (Albarracin-Jordan and Mathews 1990; Janusek and ritual comparisons from La Joya during the 1992; Kolata 1993; Ponce Sangines 1981, 1989). same Formative times (Bermann and Estevez In addition, by this time massive and well-orga- 1995). It is hoped that our excavations will nized intensive agricultural systems extend from uncover earlier phases than the nearby Lukurmata the southern shores of the lake (Kolata 1986, 1991, excavations, thus extending the region's habitation 1996). Surely the Formative people participated in evidence back in time. Our research plan has been the development of these large scale production to sample intact Formative contexts in addition to changes. Through detailed excavation and record- the Tiwanaku I phase to link into Bermann's ing, we hope to gain further insights into the Lukurmata material, and Kolata's Catari Basin development of what ultimately became the material, while collecting detailed spatial and Tiwanaku polity. temporal artifact distributions that will allow us to Chiripa is one of the earliest sites with chart social and economic changes. To do this we architecture in the region. How did such a large have excavated in several locations across the and long-lived complex come about and what did site (figure 2). it look like politically and socially? How did the We began this task in 1992 at Chiripa with ritual acts occurring at such a center as Chiripa excavations to the north and south of the mound relate to the economic activities of daily life? The and have found these archaeological deposits to be debate as to why and how these economic, social, very complex and disturbed, making the task of and political changes came about is especially apt exposing intact areas challenging. While we have in the Andean region of South America, where sought Formative domestic areas, we have uncov- important and seemingly long-term cultural ered areas that had been completely excavated for structures of meanings have existed both in the wall building by the hacienda (the Escolar area on egalitarian concepts of reciprocity and balanced figure 2). In the areas we did open up, we found opposition (yanantin; Platt 1986, 1987), as well as strata that span the earliest Formative material in hierarchy and stratification (integrated nested through Tiwanaku IV-V. For example in the An Introductioi 3 0'i i ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' ct c c z I i I R I AoA _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ % 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 cr~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~c 4 Early Settlement at Chiripa, Bolivia Santiago area, a sector of the site that is northwest retaining wall was plastered when it was in use, of the mound (see figure 2), due to its extremely and fragments of white and yellow plaster have complex stratigraphy, we identified the Formative been recovered on its floor and wall (figure 3). levels only after much post-excavation artifact On the basis of analysis of ceramics from analysis and absolute dating. We believe now that the 1992 and 1996 field seasons, Lee Steadman we have identified some of the better preserved has defined three ceramic phases at the site, which areas at the site in which to pursue these questions. we have termed Early, Middle, and Late Chiripa. We had several goals for phase I: 1) to Bill Whitehead clarifies the refinement of the complete the site topographic map and make a phases in chapter 4. Although some ceramics systematic surface collection of the site that would predating the Late Chiripa mound level were define the extent of the Formative site, 2) to clean previously recovered by Kidder (1956; Mohr a profile of the mound and collect micromorpho- 1966) and Browman (1978, 1980), their samples logical samples as well as define and date the were very small, and consequently their ceramic intact use layers, 3) to return to the southernmost phases have been hard to work with. One of the excavation sector in 1992 called Llusco and finish major goals of our work in 1996 has been to defining the extent of this semi-subterranean expand our samples of these earlier phases. The walled enclosure, and 4) to return to the northern definition of the Early and Middle Chiripa ceramic Santiago area to extend our previous excavations phases has been a major contribution of the Taraco in pursuit of intact Formative levels, including Archaeological Project. defining the Formative wall we uncovered in THE STUDY AREA 1992. In 1996 we concentrated excavations on the The Taraco Peninsula (figure 1) juts into the Llusco and Santiago areas, but also opened up a small, southern part of Lake Titicaca called Lake small excavation, Yujra, located west of Santiago, Winfaymarka, its southwestern portion (16 degrees near the quebrada (figure 2). The Llusco area was 15 minutes S latitude and 68 degrees 30 minutes an (early) Late Chiripa semi-sunken walled longitude). This region sits below the eastern courtyard-plaza, based on the large 13 by 13 meter Cordillera Royal, the large glaciated mountain wall foundation cut into sterile in addition to its chain leading to the eastern Andean slopes. It is a white plastered floor and the highly selective peninsula bounded by water to the west, south, and ceramic assemblage in its fill (Rivera in Hastorf et north, by the Tiwanaku Valley to the southeast and al. 1992). The Santiago area has both early and the broad Pampa Koani to the northeast. Both of late phases within it, with a series of floors and these terrestrial areas have prehistoric agricultural use-surfaces. This includes a Middle Chiripa use- raised fields, making this region a focus for past surface below the plow zone containing many intensive food production (Kolata 1996). The Middle Chiripa and later intrusive tombs and peninsula is created by a small mountain range refuse pits. Under this surface is a thick layer of called the Taraco mountains. The Taraco Forma- Middle and Early Chiripa refuse. The southern- tion is an eroded conglomerate with volcanics and most part of Santiago contained a Tiwanaku IV-V a sandy-clayey matrix. This lies over the Miocene structure with a series of prepared plaster floors on Kullo Kullo Formation of conglomerates, red the interior. This structure was associated with a sandstone, clayish mudflows, and alluvial clays large number of contemporary tombs, and seems (Argollo et al. 1996:69). Lower, along the lake to have had a civic or religious function. Beneath shoreline, are recent alluvial fans eroding off the this structure was a layer of intentionally deposited upper hills. The peninsula is watered by springs fill that contained a Tiwanaku III burial. This fill evident at the break in slope of the Taraco Forma- was placed on top of an Early Chiripa surface that tion that flow into seasonal streams. Seasonal displays traces of floors and outdoor activity areas rains that can be torrential also provide water called event B 16. This surface is of special rejuvenating the water table. Erosion is the major interest for it seems to be cut by the construction geomorphological action in the region. The of a semisubterranean enclosure wall that was altiplano climate is a two season regime of wet built during the Middle Chiripa phase. This and dry. The significant fluctuations are diurnal An Introduction5 I* I I I I I I~~~~~~ 40 oc C C6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 60 6 Early Settlement at Chiripa, Bolivia FIGURE 3 Santiago ASD 18 plastered wall. with freezing night time temperatures during the rose to its present level by about 50 B.C. (Binford dry season and milder temperatures throughout the and Kolata 1996:37). Since then there has been a rainy season. The precipitation comes mainly series of fluctuations determined by drier and from the northeast, moving in from the Amazon moister conditions in the region. Basin. The mean annual rainfall on the lake today The site of Chiripa lies on the northern shore is 690 mm, 581 mm at Guaqui along the lakeshore of the peninsula, on a slope rising up from the lake like Chiripa (Binford and Kolata 1996:26, 31). basin; the slope formed by several older lacustrine Most of the rain falls between December and terraces, still visible along the peninsula (Argollo March. 1996:75) (figure 1). The site is now within the The lakeshore elevation today is 3810 m. community of the same name, having evidence of Thirty percent of Lake Wiinaymarka is less than 10 the past hacienda scattered amongst the prehistoric meters deep, which is mainly in the southern part material. With the earliest habitation at about of the lake, where the peninsula is located. Just 1500 B.C., people settled there during a time of before the site seemed to be occupied, around increasing precipitation, although the lakeshore 2050 B.C., the lakeshore was about 1-2 km out seems to have been quite a bit farther away from from where it is today, approximately 10 meters where it is today. All evidence suggests that below its present level (Binford and Kolata people have continuously occupied the area since 1996:36-37). After this time the lake gradually this first habitation.