Carved Stone Models as Symbolic Features in the Agrarian Landscape of the Sondondo Valley, Ayacucho, Peru

Abstract

Carved stone models, or piedras maqueta in Spanish are stone representations of the agrarian landscape widely found in the Valley of Sondondo, in the south-central Peruvian Andes. This article aims to examine the representations, locations, scale, and certain visual features of these carved stone models in the valley. My analysis reveals that carved stone monuments provide a unique documentary source of information on the ancient Andean agrarian landscape of the Valley of Sondondo. The piedras maqueta are situated in different areas of the valley, and their study enables an understanding of their symbolism and ritual significance in relation to the environment, as well as daily agricultural spaces and tasks. Therefore, I explore the sacred landscape as an inseparable part of everyday agricultural practices.

Las piedras maqueta son representaciones en piedra del paisaje agrario que se encuentran en gran cantidad en el Valle de Sondondo, en el centro-sur de los Andes peruanos. Este artículo examina estas representaciones labradas, su localización, escala, y ciertas características visuales de las mismas respecto al paisaje. Este análisis revela que las piedras maqueta son una fuente documental única que contiene información sobre el paisaje agrario prehispánico del Valle de Sondondo. Las piedras maqueta se establecen en diferentes áreas del valle y su estudio permite comprender los aspectos simbólicos y su significado ritual en relación con el entorno, así como con las prácticas y los espacios agrícolas cotidianos. De este modo, se explora el paisaje sagrado como indivisible al paisaje agrícola cotidiano.

Keywords:

• carved stones models
• piedras maqueta
• sacred landscapes
• symbolism
• agrarian archaeology
• terraces

Palabras clave:

• maquetas talladas en piedra
• piedras maqueta
• paisaje sagrado
• simbolismo
• arqueología agraria
• andenes

Acknowledgments

I especially wish to thank Dr. José Canziani Amico, the Director of the project “Cultural Landscapes of the Valley of Sondondo,” for allowing me to be part of this project and with whom I worked and discussed the piedras maqueta. I also express my gratitude to Mr. Clímaco who always accompanies us on our trips to the valley and who introduced the piedras maqueta. I am also grateful to the community of the Sondondo Valley who always help us with fieldwork; without them, this work would not have been possible. I also thank the DGI of the PUCP for providing the funds of the research on which this paper is based. We are grateful for the support of the Dirección de Paisajes Culturales, Ministerio de Cultura, especially to Josué Gonzales.

I thank Professor Edward Swenson who reviewed this article several times, with whom I had many moments of enriched discussion and who helped me to understand the place of ritual in the Andean world. Also, I appreciate the assistance of Stephen Berquist with whom I discussed the theme of carved rocks. In addition, I wish to thank the editor of this journal Dr. Robyn Cutright, as well as Dr. Anita Cook and other anonymous reviewers who provided insightful and incisive comments that greatly improved the clarity and presentation of my ideas. I am alone responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 This research forms part of a larger interdisciplinary study of the cultural landscape of the valley of Sondondo. This research combines the insights of both architecture and archaeology. The project “Paisajes Culturales del Valle de Sondondo,” begun in 2015, is directed by Dr. Jose Canziani Amico, senior lecturer at the Department of Architecture in Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. This project has worked with the Directorate of Cultural Landscape of the Ministry of Culture, with the intended goal to confer the Valley with World Heritage status by UNESCO. Our interdisciplinary research aims to promote the sustainable local development of its inhabitants.

2 The first campaign was authorized by Directorial Resolution N° 520-2018-DGPA/VMPCIC/MC dated December 6, 2018, and No. 099-2019-DGPA/VMPCIC/MC dated March 08, 2019, and was carried out in June 2019. The final report was approved by Directorial Resolution N° 000057-2021-DCIA/MC dated February 24, 2021. The second campaign was authorized on June 7, 2021, by Directorial Resolution N° 000160-2021-DCIA/MC and was conducted in October 2021, and the final report was approved by August 16, 2022, by Directorial Resolution N° 000296-2022-DCIA/MC. The last campaign was completed in October 2022, and it was authorized by Directorial Resolution N° 000232- 2022- DCIA/MC; the final report is in progress.

3 Agrarian terraces are called andenes in the Peruvian Andes, and in the Quechua language they are called pata pata. Ancient Andean societies built sectors of platforms, like stairs, to reduce the slope of the mountains and create a flat area that retains moisture and allows optimal structures for cultivation. In contrast, terraces do not incorporate architectural features to retain soil, and they also lack complex irrigation systems (Kendall and Rodríguez 2009; Cornejo 2016; Canziani 2021).

4 This figure was obtained from the records of the Cusichaca Trust Association and PRODERN (2011). Both institutions have consolidated a set of maps and geographic information data that have proved essential to carry out this research.

5 Although it has been included in this group, it should be considered and studied independently, and it will require future detailed analysis.

6 The Cusichaca Trust association has recorded all terraces sector with GIS, and they attributed to each sector a specific typology. I utilized this information to undertake viewshed analysis.

7 Some authors argued that the Saywite stone had an earlier chronology; this has been dismissed, and the Inca chronology is now commonly accepted (Quispe-Bustamante 2013; Christie 2013, 2016; Hamilton, 2018).

8 In October 2022, this project team undertook a field excavation besides the Mayobamba stone (see Figure 2). Once we conduct archaeometric analysis and obtain radiocarbon dating results, we will be able to understand more about piedras maqueta.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patricia Aparicio Martínez

Dr. Patricia Aparicio Martínez holds a PhD in Humanities from the University of Oviedo (Spain) and a Master's Degree in Archaeology and Heritage from the University Autonomous of Madrid (Spain). She is currently an Arts and Science postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, Canada. Also, she is researcher and part time Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru (Lima), where she teaches master's seminars. Dr. Aparicio specializes in agrarian archaeology and paleobotanical studies. She is interested in ancient Andean agriculture.