Tiwanaku’s zenith took place between the fifth and tenth centuries of our era, five centuries of extraordinary achievements that haracterized the evolutionary trajectory of one of the most outstanding civilizations of the prehispanic world. Tiwanaku still plays a pivotal role in Andean cosmogony. It is still part of a plethora of myths that reproduce and, at the same time, configure the purposes and meaning of a magnificent cultural heritage. Archaeological inquiry at Tiwanaku began just a century ago. Nonetheless, its contributions to our understanding of the origin, development, and collapse of this ancient civilization have provided the scientific bases on which our knowledge of the past is currently constructed. In this book, Dr. Albarracin-Jordan makes a comprehensive analysis of the criteria that, historically, shaped different views about ancient Tiwanaku. Dr. Albarracin-Jordan has conducted archaeological research in the Tiwanaku Valley for more than a decade.
Author(s): Juan V. Albarracin-Jordan (Ph.D.)
Publisher: Impresión P.A.P.
Year: 1999
Language: English
Pages: 189
City: La Paz, Bolivia
Tags: Tiwanaku, Tiahuanaco, Tiaguanaco, Puma Punku, Akapana, Arquitectura, Putuni, Aymara, Kalasasaya
Preface
PART I
1 The Natural Scenario of the Tiwanaku Valley - 1
Climate - 6
2 History of Social Thought and Archaeological Research at Tiwanaku - 9
Colonial Period: Early Phase (1532-1 6 6 0 ) - 10
Colonial Period: Late Phase (1661-1824) - 13
Republican Period: First Phase (1825-1900) - 14
Republican Period: Second Phase (1901-1951) - 18
Republican Period: Third Phase (1952-1982) - 23
Republican Period: Fourth Phase (1983-Present) - 26
3 Brief History of Aymara Social Organization and Land Tenure - 31
The Ayllu: The Basis of Aymara Sociopolitical and Economic Organization - 31
Local Perception of the Past - 39
PART II
4 Models of Social Organization: Archaeological Implications - 41
The Urban Revolution Model - 41
The Altiplano Model - 42
The Centralized Bureaucracy Model - 43
The Local Autonomy Model - 44
5 History Before Tiwanaku - 47
Tiwanaku’s Consolidation: Diversity Becomes One - 52
6 Tiwanaku’s Rise to Prominence - 57
The Ancient Capital - 57
Akapana - 58
Kantatayita - 59
Semisubterranean Temple - 59
Kalasasaya - 60
Pumapunku - 61
Putuni - 61
The Hinterland - 62
The Agricultural Landscape - 65
Raised Fields - 65
Terraces - 66
Qocha - 67
The Social Organization of Agricultural Production - 68
Iwawi: A Key to the Puzzle - 69
An Evaluation of the Models of Social Organization - 71
Nested Hierarchies and Agricultural Production 75
Tiwanaku Beyond Its Hinterland - 79
7 The Loss of Power and Prestige - 81
The Aymara Invasion Hypothesis - 81
The Climate Degradation Hypothesis - 83
Culture Change and Continuity - 84
Ceramics - 84
Settlement Pattern - 85
Agricultural Fields - 86
Funerary Traditions - 87
The Ethnohistoric Record - 88
The Inkas in the Tiwanaku Valley - 89
Bibliography - 91
