7 Excavations in the Liusco Area JosE Luis PAZ SORIA T HE FIRST EXCAVATIONS in the area known as gone. The soils within the enclosure are loose silty Llusco (in recognition of the owner of the clay loams with a higher humus and moisture property), located 200 m south of the mound, were content than the surrounding sterile soil. The in 1992 (figure 2). Claudia Rivera Casanovas exterior, "sterile" soils are an orange color (2.5 YR directed the excavations in this area in 1992 5/6) while the interior fill is dark brown (7.5 YR 3/ (Hastorf et al. 1992). This work resulted in the 4). This color contrast served as a guide to identify discovery of a semisubterranean walled enclosure the foundation cut of the enclosure. Since our with a white plaster interior floor dating to the main goal in 1996 was to identify the size and Late Chiripa phase, 800-750 B.C. (figure 8). Its shape of the enclosure, the excavations extended subterranean construction, together with the only to the base of the plow zone where these soil elaboration of its plaster floor, is the principal contrasts were visible. In locations where greater evidence for suggesting a possible special function stratigraphic control was required, a further soil for the Llusco structure (Hastorf and Bandy 1996; layer was excavated. This strategy permitted us to Steadman 1996). With this background, the goal identify the dimensions of the four walls: east wall of the 1996 season was to define the dimensions of 13.5 m; north wall 11.5 m; west wall, 12.5 m; and the stone walls, obtain additional samples for south wall, 11 m (see figure 9). The most de- radiocarbon dating, and further investigate its form stroyed wall was the south wall where the stones and function. were intentionally removed by later midden pits This enclosure (which from this point and plowing. These intrusive pits are irregular in onward will be referred to as Llusco), is clearly form and depth and are found to lie over the defined by the cut made into the local sterile soil interior fill of the structure (which contains Forma- which was then filled with lines of stone (figure tive materials), making clear stratigraphic separa- 9). In general, the intact cultural deposits in the tion of the two levels difficult. Llusco area are shallow (an average of 10 cm At a later date, during the Republican period below the surface) so much of the enclosure is (A.D. 1 825-present), the west wall of Llusco was 32 Ear/lv Settlemnitt at Chiripa, Bolivia A, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 04~~~~~* X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7 0n F ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C) 9 - 0~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Ct~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~" -- ----- -." --- ---4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Llusco Area 33 destroyed to construct an adobe hacienda wall, its This could be the entrance to the Llusco structure, stones being employed for the construction of the occurring in the northwestern corner on an earlier base of the wall which runs parallel to the ancient canal (figure 9). The foundation of this secondary structure and its soil collected to make adobes (see stone wall cuts an earlier Chiripa fill (see below). figure 9). Additionally, the excavation of various Its construction is similar to the other Llusco adobe borrow pits, associated with construction of walls. In the area between the canal and this this later historic wall, disturbed this area still angled wall (1.1 m), there are many loose stones further. Both the plow and more recently the that seem to be wall collapse. tractor, have contributed to the destruction of the One of the greatest surprises of the Llusco structure, especially in the northern area. excavation was the discovery of two series of pit Despite these limitations, the construction fills, located just outside the north and northeast- techniques of Llusco are still recognizable. The ern walls (labeled as fill in figure 9). These first step in the construction was to make a nearly contained Early and Middle Chiripa materials, vertical cut into sterile soil (giving the structure its respectively, dated by ceramic analysis. Their semisubterranean character) forming a U-shaped contents appear to be mixed midden. The soil of linear trough. Then, the base of the wall was these pits had a sandy clay loam texture and a dark constructed of local, rounded cobbles up to 70 cm brown color (7.5 YR 3/4). The pits themselves are in size and clay. Above these base stones, it seems amorphous in shape and apparently represent that stones and adobe were added to enclose the various superimposed actions which were cut by space, although we do not know the resulting the construction of the Llusco enclosure. The height. Periodic foundation cut evidence shows Harris Matrix for Llusco is seen in appendix 1. that the cut was gently sloping in some areas, resulting in a slope that covers 15 cm, which was THE FUNCTION OF LLcUAO: filled with other materials (possibly from earlier DOMESTIC OR RITUAL? deposits; see below) in order to stabilize the wall. At this time there are two models for the It is also likely that the upper parts of the wall function of Llusco based on the excavation would have included mud bricks, and that the evidence and on comparisons with other Forma- subsequent melting of these combined with the tive sites in the circum-Titicaca area. One is that effects of plowing would have blurred still further the Llusco enclosure represents a largely domestic the depositional processes in this area. or group structure, constructed by an ayllu or Other significant architectural evidence similar social group, and that it is one of presum- includes a drainage canal in the northwest corner ably several which was placed near the Chiripa of the structure and a white plaster floor in the mound. James Matthews excavated a similar interior of the structure (figure 9). The canal is sunken courtyard, approximately 10 x 10 meters in located in the lowest corner, draining the structure size, cut into sterile and having cobble and field- toward the nearby stream basin. The canal section stone walls, at the site of T'ijini Pata in the Middle that was excavated was 4 m long, 24 cm wide and Tiwanaku Valley. This structure had two periods 30 cm high, with a fine layer of compact clay in its of occupations, one during the Late Chiripa phase base. This canal, like the walls of Llusco, cuts into and the other somewhat earlier. Matthews inter- the sterile soil. It is very probable that it was prets this structure as having primarily a domestic completely covered with capstones, because habitation use, based on artifact density and the several were still in place when uncovered. Unfor- presence of domestic debris in its fill (Matthews tunately, the later hacienda wall construction 1992:69-72). Similarly, Juan Albarracin-Jordan's destroyed much of this area. In the interior of the (1992, 1996) excavations at the site of Allkamari canal we encountered Late Chiripa materials and in the Lower Tiwanaku Valley uncovered a sunken frequent white clay particles which appear to enclosure that he also interprets as having a represent the erosion of the white plaster floor communal domestic function, serving as a com- inside the Llusco structure. There is a second row mon residential locus of.an extensive social group of stones in the same northwestern corner (labelled that he postulates resembled ethnographic and secondary wall in figure 9), parallel to the canal. ethnohistoric ayllus. 34 Early Settlement at Chiripa, Bolivia Canal Secondary wall //t Hacienda ..-....... T LI > White plaster floor M Early Chiripa fill 5MiddleChiripa fll S meters LI Sterile FIGURE 9 Liusco excavation plan with major phases marked. Llusco Area 35 The second model for the Liusco enclosure, refuse is lacking from the Llusco floor and fill, as favored by most members of the Taraco Archaeo- are domestic features such as hearths, middens, logical Project, is that it represents a group enclo- etc. In contrast, the percentage of decorated sure, but with a more ceremonial and periodic ceramics found on the Llusco plaster floor is communal use, along the lines of the later semi- significantly higher than in any other Late Chiripa subterranean enclosures both at Tiwanaku and at context at the site, with the exception of the Lower other sites around the basin. Several other Late Houses on the mound itself. As most of the stones Chiripa semi-subterranean enclosures clearly have from the Llusco structure walls are missing or ritual or ceremonial functions, including the robbed, possibilities for the comparison of stone fieldstone courtyard on the mound at Chiripa itself construction technique and style with the other (Browman 1978:809; Chaivez 1988), the semi- Late Chiripa sunken courtyards are unfortunately subterranean courtyard at Ch'isi on the limited. As in all archaeology, careful identifica- Copacabana peninsula (K. and S. Chaivez pers. tion of context, especially secondary fill or floors, comm.), and the semi-subterranean enclosure at will cause problems in getting the best understand- Titimani (Portugal et al. 1993). Although our ing of such structures' use and meaning. analysis of the artifacts recovered from the Llusco Comparison with other sunken enclosures in structure, including the faunal and botanical the southern Titicaca Basin show several similari- evidence, is not complete, the information we have ties in construction, such as the rectangular plan, so far suggests to some, especially when compared the use of cobble, fieldstone, or undressed stones to other data populations at the site, that the Llusco for the wall construction, and the cutting of the structure was primarily used for ceremonial courtyard into sterile soil or bedrock. What is purposes, with other activities taking place within exciting is that this enclosure could be contempo- the enclosure as well. There is a higher than raneous with the Upper House Levels of the average number of decorated sherds, including mound. Because this is the period of the least trumpet fragments. These trumpets have been precise dating, at this time we cannot be certain associated with ceremonial activities throughout about their contemporaneity. This enclosure does the Titicaca Basin (fig. 27d). This does not rule suggest that there at least two large architectural out what are often called domestic activities from constructions in use at one time at Chiripa, how- taking place inside the courtyard. A similar ever. The earlier pit fills further note that these pattern of mixed use zones has also been proposed enclosures were built on and near earlier use areas. for the Santiago area. Dense domestic activity