The End of Ayawiri: Abandonment at an Andean Hillfort Town of the Late Intermediate Period

ABSTRACT

As the south-central Andes came under Inca control, many hillfort towns and villages were abandoned in favor of low-lying, non-defensive settlements. Recent investigation at Ayawiri (Machu Llaqta), a fortified hilltop town in the Titicaca Basin of southern Peru, sheds light on how such sites met their end. Ayawiri was abandoned in the 15th century a.d. with no reoccupation and little to no scavenging afterwards. Excavated house structures have whole or reconstructible artifacts left in situ on floors, including bronze adornments and other valuables. Expediently-prepared throwing stones or slingstones were stockpiled and used near the outermost wall, suggesting that the abandonment may have been precipitated by enemy attack. While the evidence indicates rapid abandonment overall, there were distinct and varied micro-processes of abandonment that took place among different family groups at Ayawiri, who engaged differently in rituals, abandonment caching, and departure.

KEYWORDS:

• Andes
• Late Intermediate Period
• abandonment
• Inca

Acknowledgements

Fieldwork and analysis at Ayawiri was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (BCS-0849094 / BCS-1101148), supplemented by small grants from the University of Virginia and the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Latin American Studies. The project was carried out with the aid of too many colleagues and crew-members to list here, but special thanks go to Erika Brant, Cecilia Chávez, BrieAnna Langlie, Aimée Plourde, Humberto Tacca, and Matt Velasco; members of the community of Chila; the authorities of Tiquillaca and Vilque; CARI-Peru; and the Ministerio de Cultura. The lichen analysis was carried out with support from the Brennan Foundation and helpful advice from Steven Wernke. My thanks to the anonymous reviewers for constructive feedback on the original manuscript.

Notes on Contributor

Elizabeth Arkush (Ph.D. 2005, University of California, Los Angeles) is currently Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research has focused on warfare and political organization in the late Precolumbian Andes and the Titicaca basin in particular.

ORCID

Elizabeth Arkush http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9008-0280