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Tamara Bray

Wayne State University, Anthropology, Faculty Member

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James Davenport

University of Missouri Columbia

Daiana Rivas-Tello

Brown University

Institut Français d'Etudes Andines

The George Washington University

University of Illinois at Chicago

Sebastián Carosio

INCIHUSA-CONICET

María José Ots

INCIHUSA-CONICET

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Papers by Tamara Bray

New insights from Ecuador into Inca-style pottery production in the provinces

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2025

Beyond military conquest, the successful consolidation of Tawantinsuyu likely depended on the exe... more Beyond military conquest, the successful consolidation of Tawantinsuyu likely depended on the exercise of soft power and ideological cooptation. The widespread distribution of Inca pottery suggests it played a key role in the imperial agenda. Archaeological evidence from across the Empire indicates that provincial potters were mobilized to generate the distinctive vessels associated with the state, which typically differed significantly from their local repertoires. How did these potters produce the new forms demanded by the Inca? Was any practicing potter capable of adapting their skills? Would new communities of practice have emerged to meet the new morphological and stylistic requirements? We address these questions in a study of Inca and local pottery from southern Ecuador via a focus on the chaînes opératoires involved in production. We incorporate analyses of archaeological materials recovered from survey and excavation work in Olleros in the parish of San Miguel de Porotos in Cañar province, as well as observations from both ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological studies from this region and elsewhere. The study reveals that the Inca-style pottery found at the site was produced locally by expert Cañari potters who combined their usual techniques in a different way to achieve the requisite Inca vessel forms. These specialists were likely mitmaqkuna resettled in this region by the Inca due to the abundance of high quality clays in the region.

Vital Matter of Food

2023

Bray, T.L.-Skeuomorphs, Conchas de Ceramica en los Andes Septentrionales (2001)

The Social Life of Food (2021)

Imperial Inca-style pottery from Ecuador: Insights into provenance and production using INAA and ceramic petrography

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

A signature element of the Inca Empire is the highly standardized assemblage of ceramic vessels f... more A signature element of the Inca Empire is the highly standardized assemblage of ceramic vessels found across the length and breadth of the imperial realm. The question of how such standardization was achieved has long intrigued Inca scholars and led to a growing number of investigations into the organization of imperial pottery production. The present study contributes to this body of research through a compositional analysis of Inca-style pottery recovered from various sites in Ecuador. The goal of the analysis was to gain insight into where imperial-style wares from this region were produced. The results of the study indicate that production of Inca-style vessels in the distant provinces was less regulated than in areas nearer the imperial center. This suggests that local potters may have been free to emulate imperial forms, but that certain standards of care in paste preparation may have nonetheless been followed to elevate the state-styles above local varieties.

Imperial Encounters: Historical Contingency, Local Agency, and Hybridity

Pearls, Politics, and Pistachios: Essays in Anthropology and Memories on the Occasion of Susan Pollock's 65th Birthday, 2021

Recientes excavaciones en Intinqala: Un sitio de ocupación inca en Copacabana, Bolivia (2019)

SIARB, 2019

Resumen Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación arqueológica llevada a cabo en... more Resumen
Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación arqueológica llevada a cabo en Intinqala, Municipio de Copacabana, Bolivia en 2016. La investigación comprendió un programa diseñado a identificar y documentar la presencia y distribución sub-superficial de restos arqueológicos en este sector importante de Copacabana. Las excavaciones revelaron evidencia de una importante ocupación inca justo debajo de los restos modernos. Significativamente, no se identificó ocupaciones más tempranas dentro de los límites del sitio. Reportado aquí son los resultados preliminares de los análisis de los rasgos arqueológicos encontrados y los materiales recuperados en el sitio.

Palabras claves: Imperio inca, paisaje sagrado, Intinqala, Copacabana

Summary
This article presents the results of archaeological investigations carried out in the Intinqala sector of the Copacabana, Bolivia, in 2016. The fieldwork undertaken aimed to identify and document the presence and distribution of sub-surface archaeological remains in this important sector of Copacabana. Excavations revealed a significant Inca occupation at this site just below the surface. Importantly, no Tiwanaku or earlier period occupations were recorded within the boundaries of the site. Here we report on the types of archaeological features identified at the site and our preliminary analyses of archaeological materials recovered.

Key words: Inca Empire, sacred landscape, Intinqala, Copacabana

Al Final de Tahuantinsuyu (2018)

Potting Clays and Ceramic Provenance in Northern Highland Ecuador (2016), L. Minc, K. Yanchar, T. Bray, J. Echeverria

by Tamara Bray and Leah Minc

We report here on the results of an exploratory study to identify sources of potting clays in the... more We report here on the results of an exploratory study to identify sources of potting clays in the northern highlands of Ecuador and establish a geochemical baseline for analysing patterns of ceramic production and exchange dating to the late prehistoric period from this region. Our geographic focus is Imbabura Province, Ecuador, a region that represented the core territory of the proto-historic Caranquí-Cayambe population and the northernmost frontier of the Inca Empire. Initial field work involved interviews with modern potters as well as field survey to locate good quality clays and to reconstruct the context of clay mineral formation in this environment. Our preliminary survey indicated that highly plastic clays are not abundant in the volcanic soils of northern Ecuador; thus an important aspect of this study involved first establishing the range of potential raw material resources (clays and tempers) available to prehistoric potters, as well as their distribution and spatial scale or extent. Subsequent laboratory analyses paired trace-element and petrographic analyses of 169 prehispanic ceramic vessels and 65 comparative clays and modern ceramic vessels to evaluate their chemical and mineralogical characteristics. Our results provide an intriguing indicator of communication within and perhaps among tola communities.

Las Tolas Perdidas de Caranqui (2016).pdf

Resumen El sitio arqueológico de Caranqui comprende uno de los múltiples centros de montículos m... more Resumen
El sitio arqueológico de Caranqui comprende uno de los múltiples centros de montículos monumentales que caracterizó el paisaje precolombino de la provincia de Imbabura en la sierra septentrional del Ecuador. Esta zona fue antiguamente asociada con la etnia de los Caranqui-Cayambe durante el Período Tardío precolombino. Una vez numerosas, pero rápidamente desapareciendo, los terraplenes culturales enormes representan un legado sumamente importante del pasado y una ventana única dentro de la vida cotidiana, política, y ceremonial de los imbabureños autóctonos. En este artículo, revisamos brevemente los datos etnohistóricos pertenecientes a los Caranqui-Cayambe, proveemos una actualización sobre los resultados de investigaciones arqueológicas recientes pertenecientes a las tolas de la región, y documentamos—en base de la memoria e historia oral de los habitantes, además de los vestigios arqueológicos—las tolas perdidas de la parroquia de Caranqui.

Palabras claves: Montículos monumentales, paisajes precolombinos, Caranqui-Cayambe, Andes septentrionales, Ecuador, perdida de patrimonio cultural.

Abstract
The archaeological site of Caranqui constitutes one of the numerous centers of monumental earthworks that characterized the pre-Columbian landscape of the province of Imbabura in the northern highlands of Ecuador. This zone was the territory of the Caranqui-Cayambe ethnic group during the late pre-Columbian period. The enormous cultural mounds or tolas, formerly found throughout this region but fast disappearing, constitute an important material legacy of the past and a unique window into the daily, political, and ceremonial lives of the original inhabitants of this region. In this article, we briefly review the ethnohistoric data pertaining to the Caranqui-Cayambe; provide an update on the results of recent research on the mound sites of the region; and document on the basis of oral history, collective memory, and archaeological vestiges, the “lost tolas” of the village of Caranqui.

Keywords: Platform mounds, pre-Columbian landscapes, Caranqui-Cayambe, northern Andes, Ecuador, loss of cultural heritage

"At the End of Empire: Imperial Advances on the Northern Frontier" (2015)

Recent research on the northern frontier of the Inca Empire is generating new information pertai... more Recent research on the northern frontier of the Inca Empire is generating new information pertaining to the affairs of the imperial state in the final decades of its existence. The region to the north of Quito associated with the ethnic Caranqui-Cayambe and Pasto populations was the last to be effectively annexed by the Inca prior to the Spanish invasion. The highly militarized landscape of this region speaks to the intensity and duration of the final Inca wars of conquest, while recently discovered sites such as that of Inca-Caranqui provide a window into evolving strategies of statecraft in the latter phases of empire. Fresh analyses of ethnohistoric sources are similarly re-focusing attention on the importance of Inca actions in this region in the immediate aftermath of Atahualpa’s execution. By more fully integrating the archaeological data from Ecuador into the larger narrative of Tawantinsuyu, our understanding of the evolution of imperial policies, practices, and politics is enriched and new lines of inquiry are suggested.

Andean Wak'as and Alternative Configurations of Persons, Power, & Things (2015)

Al final del Imperio: El sitio arqueologico Inca-Caranqui en la Sierra Septentrional del Ecuador (2014)

Resumen. Este artículo informa sobre las investigaciones Recientes en el sitio impeRial taRdío in... more Resumen. Este artículo informa sobre las investigaciones Recientes en el sitio impeRial taRdío inca-caRanqui localizado en la fRonteRa noRte del tawantinsuyu. los estudios inteRdisciplinaRios Realizados en este sitio desde el año 2008 se han diRigido a exploRaR el papel de la aRquitectuRa impeRial como una estRategia mateRial de la política incaica y el tipo o clases de tácticas militaRes y sociales que pueden habeR evolucionado poR pResión del tiempo y la distancia entRe caRanqui y el cuzco. las investigaciones en el sitio han implicado el uso de sensoRes Remotos de RadaR (gpR), técnicos geoquímicos, el uso expeRimental de lidaR paRa la RepResentación 3d, excavaciones contRoladas y estudios etnohistóRicos. una descRipción y algunos Resultados pReliminaRes de estas actividades se pResentan en este aRtículo. los hallazgos discutidos aquí incluyen nuestRa inteRpRetación de los componentes estRuctuRales del sitio y su configuRación, los mateRiales y técnicas de constRucción, los contextos fechados y el significado de la manipulación del agua en el sitio. palabRas clave: impeRio inca-aRquitectuRa hidRaúlica inca-caRanqui. abstRact this papeR RepoRts on Recent investigations at the late impeRial site of inca-caRanqui located at the noRtheRnmost edge of tawantinsuyu. the inteRdisciplinaRy ReseaRch conducted at this site since 2008 has been aimed at exploRing the Role of impeRial aRchitectuRe as a mateRial stRategy of inca statecRaft and the extent to which such stRategies may have evolved as a function of time and distance fRom the impeRial capital of cuzco. investigations at the site have involved the use of a vaRiety of methodological techniques as well as contRolled excavations, and ethnohistoRic ReseaRch. an oveRview of the ethnohistoRic context of the site togetheR with some of the pReliminaRy Results of ouR fieldwoRk aRe pResented in this papeR. key woRds: inca empiRe-hydRaulic inca aRchitectuRe-caRanqui.

The Late Imperial Site of Inca-Caranqui, Northern Highland Ecuador: At the End of Empire (2014)

This article reports on recent investigations at the late imperial site of Inca-Caranqui located ... more This article reports on recent investigations at the late imperial site of Inca-Caranqui located at the northernmost edge of Tawantinsuyu. The interdisciplinary research conducted at this site since 2008 has been aimed at exploring the role of imperial architecture as a material strategy of Inca statecraft and the extent to which such strategies may have evolved as a function of time and distance from the imperial capital of Cuzco. Investigations at the site have involved the use of a variety of methodological techniques as well as controlled excavations and ethnohistoric research. An overview of the ethnohistoric context of the site together with some of the preliminary results of our fieldwork are presented in this article. Este artículo informa sobre las investigaciones recientes en el sitio imperial tardío Inca-Caranqui localizado en la fron-tera norte del Tawantinsuyu. Los estudios interdisciplinarios realizados en este sitio desde el año 2008 se han dirigido a explorar el papel de la arquitectura imperial como una estrategia material de la política incaica y el tipo o clases de tácticas militares y sociales que pueden haber evolucionado por presión del tiempo y la distancia entre Caranqui y el Cuzco. Las investigaciones en el sitio han implicado el uso de sensores remotos de radar (GPR), técnicos geoquímicos, el uso experimental de LiDAR para la representación 3D, excavaciones controladas, y estudios etnohistóricos. Una descripción y algunos resultados preliminares de estas actividades se presentan en este artículo. Los hallazgos discutidos aquí incluyen nuestra interpretación de los componentes estructurales del sitio y su configuración, los materiales y técnicas de construcción, los contextos fechados, y la significancia de la manipulación del agua en el sitio.

Analytical applications of fine-scale terrestrial lidar at the imperial Inca site of Caranqui, northern highland Ecuador (2014)

by Boleslo E Romero and Tamara Bray

The relatively recent availability of terrestrial lidar for mapping archaeological subjects has a... more The relatively recent availability of terrestrial lidar for mapping archaeological subjects has allowed for great advances in representation and reconstruction but the analytic potential of this technology remains underdeveloped in archaeology. This paper provides an overview of the analytical directions we are taking with point cloud data generated through ground-based laser scanning at the imperial Inca site of Caranqui in northern Ecuador. Our approach to data analysis employs insights and ideas from the domains of GIScience, remote sensing, cartography, computer vision and hydrology. While creating a comprehensive visual record of the site was an important project goal, we also sought to develop improved methods of feature extraction and surface calibration to better understand water manipulation and flows at the site. Here we highlight some of the preliminary results of our analyses as well as the challenges and benefits of employing terrestrial lidar to investigate a mid-sized archaeological site.

Water, Ritual and Power in the Inca Empire

Latin American Antiquity, 2013

Encuentros imperiales: Contingencia histórica, agencia local, e hibridad

In "La Cerámica Arqueológica en la Materialización de la Sociedad: Transformaciones, Metáforas, y Reproducción Social," Gustavo de la Fuente and María Cecilia Páez (eds.), pp. 61-78. Universidad de Catamarca, Argentina., 2011

From Rational to Relational: Re-configuring Value (2012)

In "The Construction of Value in the Ancient World,” G. Urton and J. Papadoupoulus, pp. 344-357. Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA., 2012

The modern Western notion of value carries much economic baggage and arguably privileges the matt... more The modern Western notion of value carries much economic baggage and arguably privileges the matter of value over the spirit of value. In line with what has recently been characterized as the "ontological turn" in anthropology, this paper takes the nature of value as the initial and essential problematic. Rather than according ontological priority to either abstract notions of value or intrinsic properties of objects, I suggest that we approach value as both relational and situated. Adopting a relational theory of value directs us toward consideration of the personal, social, and aesthetic contexts within which such relations are constituted and expressed. It also recognizes that value to be realized must be embodied, that value is always comparatively constructed, and that value rather than comprising an either/or quality typically registers on a gradient. To illustrate these theoretical concepts, I provide a discussion on the materialization of value in the context of imperial Inca society, highlighting the hierarchical and relational nature of valued objects in the late pre-Columbian Andes, as well as the reflexivity between social and material categories of value or worth.

Ritual Commensality between Human and Non-Human Persons Investigating Native Ontologies in the Late Pre-Columbian Andean World

eTopoi. Journal of Ancient Studies (Berlin), 2012

In anthropology, it has become axiomatic that social relationships are constructed through food p... more In anthropology, it has become axiomatic that social relationships are constructed through food practices and embodied in food. This paper suggests that both ritual and quotidian commensality have as either a goal or a consequence the construction of specific relations of sociality, and in this regard are not so different. What may distinguish these spheres of commensality, however, are the types of persons engaged in the act of shared consumption. The paper considers ritual commensality as a means of exploring the social universe and indigenous ontology of native Andean peoples, using both archaeological and ethnohistoric data. The role such commensal activities may have played in the construction of, and engagement with, other-than-human persons in the late pre-Columbian Andes is considered.

El papel de la coca en la interacción macro-regional en el área intermedia y más alla.

In "Arqueología en el Área Intermedia," Victor González (ed.), pp. 337-366. Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia, Bogotá, 2011

New insights from Ecuador into Inca-style pottery production in the provinces

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2025

Beyond military conquest, the successful consolidation of Tawantinsuyu likely depended on the exe... more Beyond military conquest, the successful consolidation of Tawantinsuyu likely depended on the exercise of soft power and ideological cooptation. The widespread distribution of Inca pottery suggests it played a key role in the imperial agenda. Archaeological evidence from across the Empire indicates that provincial potters were mobilized to generate the distinctive vessels associated with the state, which typically differed significantly from their local repertoires. How did these potters produce the new forms demanded by the Inca? Was any practicing potter capable of adapting their skills? Would new communities of practice have emerged to meet the new morphological and stylistic requirements? We address these questions in a study of Inca and local pottery from southern Ecuador via a focus on the chaînes opératoires involved in production. We incorporate analyses of archaeological materials recovered from survey and excavation work in Olleros in the parish of San Miguel de Porotos in Cañar province, as well as observations from both ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological studies from this region and elsewhere. The study reveals that the Inca-style pottery found at the site was produced locally by expert Cañari potters who combined their usual techniques in a different way to achieve the requisite Inca vessel forms. These specialists were likely mitmaqkuna resettled in this region by the Inca due to the abundance of high quality clays in the region.

Vital Matter of Food

2023

Bray, T.L.-Skeuomorphs, Conchas de Ceramica en los Andes Septentrionales (2001)

The Social Life of Food (2021)

Imperial Inca-style pottery from Ecuador: Insights into provenance and production using INAA and ceramic petrography

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020

A signature element of the Inca Empire is the highly standardized assemblage of ceramic vessels f... more A signature element of the Inca Empire is the highly standardized assemblage of ceramic vessels found across the length and breadth of the imperial realm. The question of how such standardization was achieved has long intrigued Inca scholars and led to a growing number of investigations into the organization of imperial pottery production. The present study contributes to this body of research through a compositional analysis of Inca-style pottery recovered from various sites in Ecuador. The goal of the analysis was to gain insight into where imperial-style wares from this region were produced. The results of the study indicate that production of Inca-style vessels in the distant provinces was less regulated than in areas nearer the imperial center. This suggests that local potters may have been free to emulate imperial forms, but that certain standards of care in paste preparation may have nonetheless been followed to elevate the state-styles above local varieties.

Imperial Encounters: Historical Contingency, Local Agency, and Hybridity

Pearls, Politics, and Pistachios: Essays in Anthropology and Memories on the Occasion of Susan Pollock's 65th Birthday, 2021

Recientes excavaciones en Intinqala: Un sitio de ocupación inca en Copacabana, Bolivia (2019)

SIARB, 2019

Resumen Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación arqueológica llevada a cabo en... more Resumen
Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación arqueológica llevada a cabo en Intinqala, Municipio de Copacabana, Bolivia en 2016. La investigación comprendió un programa diseñado a identificar y documentar la presencia y distribución sub-superficial de restos arqueológicos en este sector importante de Copacabana. Las excavaciones revelaron evidencia de una importante ocupación inca justo debajo de los restos modernos. Significativamente, no se identificó ocupaciones más tempranas dentro de los límites del sitio. Reportado aquí son los resultados preliminares de los análisis de los rasgos arqueológicos encontrados y los materiales recuperados en el sitio.

Palabras claves: Imperio inca, paisaje sagrado, Intinqala, Copacabana

Summary
This article presents the results of archaeological investigations carried out in the Intinqala sector of the Copacabana, Bolivia, in 2016. The fieldwork undertaken aimed to identify and document the presence and distribution of sub-surface archaeological remains in this important sector of Copacabana. Excavations revealed a significant Inca occupation at this site just below the surface. Importantly, no Tiwanaku or earlier period occupations were recorded within the boundaries of the site. Here we report on the types of archaeological features identified at the site and our preliminary analyses of archaeological materials recovered.

Key words: Inca Empire, sacred landscape, Intinqala, Copacabana

Al Final de Tahuantinsuyu (2018)

Potting Clays and Ceramic Provenance in Northern Highland Ecuador (2016), L. Minc, K. Yanchar, T. Bray, J. Echeverria

by Tamara Bray and Leah Minc

We report here on the results of an exploratory study to identify sources of potting clays in the... more We report here on the results of an exploratory study to identify sources of potting clays in the northern highlands of Ecuador and establish a geochemical baseline for analysing patterns of ceramic production and exchange dating to the late prehistoric period from this region. Our geographic focus is Imbabura Province, Ecuador, a region that represented the core territory of the proto-historic Caranquí-Cayambe population and the northernmost frontier of the Inca Empire. Initial field work involved interviews with modern potters as well as field survey to locate good quality clays and to reconstruct the context of clay mineral formation in this environment. Our preliminary survey indicated that highly plastic clays are not abundant in the volcanic soils of northern Ecuador; thus an important aspect of this study involved first establishing the range of potential raw material resources (clays and tempers) available to prehistoric potters, as well as their distribution and spatial scale or extent. Subsequent laboratory analyses paired trace-element and petrographic analyses of 169 prehispanic ceramic vessels and 65 comparative clays and modern ceramic vessels to evaluate their chemical and mineralogical characteristics. Our results provide an intriguing indicator of communication within and perhaps among tola communities.

Las Tolas Perdidas de Caranqui (2016).pdf

Resumen El sitio arqueológico de Caranqui comprende uno de los múltiples centros de montículos m... more Resumen
El sitio arqueológico de Caranqui comprende uno de los múltiples centros de montículos monumentales que caracterizó el paisaje precolombino de la provincia de Imbabura en la sierra septentrional del Ecuador. Esta zona fue antiguamente asociada con la etnia de los Caranqui-Cayambe durante el Período Tardío precolombino. Una vez numerosas, pero rápidamente desapareciendo, los terraplenes culturales enormes representan un legado sumamente importante del pasado y una ventana única dentro de la vida cotidiana, política, y ceremonial de los imbabureños autóctonos. En este artículo, revisamos brevemente los datos etnohistóricos pertenecientes a los Caranqui-Cayambe, proveemos una actualización sobre los resultados de investigaciones arqueológicas recientes pertenecientes a las tolas de la región, y documentamos—en base de la memoria e historia oral de los habitantes, además de los vestigios arqueológicos—las tolas perdidas de la parroquia de Caranqui.

Palabras claves: Montículos monumentales, paisajes precolombinos, Caranqui-Cayambe, Andes septentrionales, Ecuador, perdida de patrimonio cultural.

Abstract
The archaeological site of Caranqui constitutes one of the numerous centers of monumental earthworks that characterized the pre-Columbian landscape of the province of Imbabura in the northern highlands of Ecuador. This zone was the territory of the Caranqui-Cayambe ethnic group during the late pre-Columbian period. The enormous cultural mounds or tolas, formerly found throughout this region but fast disappearing, constitute an important material legacy of the past and a unique window into the daily, political, and ceremonial lives of the original inhabitants of this region. In this article, we briefly review the ethnohistoric data pertaining to the Caranqui-Cayambe; provide an update on the results of recent research on the mound sites of the region; and document on the basis of oral history, collective memory, and archaeological vestiges, the “lost tolas” of the village of Caranqui.

Keywords: Platform mounds, pre-Columbian landscapes, Caranqui-Cayambe, northern Andes, Ecuador, loss of cultural heritage

"At the End of Empire: Imperial Advances on the Northern Frontier" (2015)

Recent research on the northern frontier of the Inca Empire is generating new information pertai... more Recent research on the northern frontier of the Inca Empire is generating new information pertaining to the affairs of the imperial state in the final decades of its existence. The region to the north of Quito associated with the ethnic Caranqui-Cayambe and Pasto populations was the last to be effectively annexed by the Inca prior to the Spanish invasion. The highly militarized landscape of this region speaks to the intensity and duration of the final Inca wars of conquest, while recently discovered sites such as that of Inca-Caranqui provide a window into evolving strategies of statecraft in the latter phases of empire. Fresh analyses of ethnohistoric sources are similarly re-focusing attention on the importance of Inca actions in this region in the immediate aftermath of Atahualpa’s execution. By more fully integrating the archaeological data from Ecuador into the larger narrative of Tawantinsuyu, our understanding of the evolution of imperial policies, practices, and politics is enriched and new lines of inquiry are suggested.

Andean Wak'as and Alternative Configurations of Persons, Power, & Things (2015)

Al final del Imperio: El sitio arqueologico Inca-Caranqui en la Sierra Septentrional del Ecuador (2014)

Resumen. Este artículo informa sobre las investigaciones Recientes en el sitio impeRial taRdío in... more Resumen. Este artículo informa sobre las investigaciones Recientes en el sitio impeRial taRdío inca-caRanqui localizado en la fRonteRa noRte del tawantinsuyu. los estudios inteRdisciplinaRios Realizados en este sitio desde el año 2008 se han diRigido a exploRaR el papel de la aRquitectuRa impeRial como una estRategia mateRial de la política incaica y el tipo o clases de tácticas militaRes y sociales que pueden habeR evolucionado poR pResión del tiempo y la distancia entRe caRanqui y el cuzco. las investigaciones en el sitio han implicado el uso de sensoRes Remotos de RadaR (gpR), técnicos geoquímicos, el uso expeRimental de lidaR paRa la RepResentación 3d, excavaciones contRoladas y estudios etnohistóRicos. una descRipción y algunos Resultados pReliminaRes de estas actividades se pResentan en este aRtículo. los hallazgos discutidos aquí incluyen nuestRa inteRpRetación de los componentes estRuctuRales del sitio y su configuRación, los mateRiales y técnicas de constRucción, los contextos fechados y el significado de la manipulación del agua en el sitio. palabRas clave: impeRio inca-aRquitectuRa hidRaúlica inca-caRanqui. abstRact this papeR RepoRts on Recent investigations at the late impeRial site of inca-caRanqui located at the noRtheRnmost edge of tawantinsuyu. the inteRdisciplinaRy ReseaRch conducted at this site since 2008 has been aimed at exploRing the Role of impeRial aRchitectuRe as a mateRial stRategy of inca statecRaft and the extent to which such stRategies may have evolved as a function of time and distance fRom the impeRial capital of cuzco. investigations at the site have involved the use of a vaRiety of methodological techniques as well as contRolled excavations, and ethnohistoRic ReseaRch. an oveRview of the ethnohistoRic context of the site togetheR with some of the pReliminaRy Results of ouR fieldwoRk aRe pResented in this papeR. key woRds: inca empiRe-hydRaulic inca aRchitectuRe-caRanqui.

The Late Imperial Site of Inca-Caranqui, Northern Highland Ecuador: At the End of Empire (2014)

This article reports on recent investigations at the late imperial site of Inca-Caranqui located ... more This article reports on recent investigations at the late imperial site of Inca-Caranqui located at the northernmost edge of Tawantinsuyu. The interdisciplinary research conducted at this site since 2008 has been aimed at exploring the role of imperial architecture as a material strategy of Inca statecraft and the extent to which such strategies may have evolved as a function of time and distance from the imperial capital of Cuzco. Investigations at the site have involved the use of a variety of methodological techniques as well as controlled excavations and ethnohistoric research. An overview of the ethnohistoric context of the site together with some of the preliminary results of our fieldwork are presented in this article. Este artículo informa sobre las investigaciones recientes en el sitio imperial tardío Inca-Caranqui localizado en la fron-tera norte del Tawantinsuyu. Los estudios interdisciplinarios realizados en este sitio desde el año 2008 se han dirigido a explorar el papel de la arquitectura imperial como una estrategia material de la política incaica y el tipo o clases de tácticas militares y sociales que pueden haber evolucionado por presión del tiempo y la distancia entre Caranqui y el Cuzco. Las investigaciones en el sitio han implicado el uso de sensores remotos de radar (GPR), técnicos geoquímicos, el uso experimental de LiDAR para la representación 3D, excavaciones controladas, y estudios etnohistóricos. Una descripción y algunos resultados preliminares de estas actividades se presentan en este artículo. Los hallazgos discutidos aquí incluyen nuestra interpretación de los componentes estructurales del sitio y su configuración, los materiales y técnicas de construcción, los contextos fechados, y la significancia de la manipulación del agua en el sitio.

Analytical applications of fine-scale terrestrial lidar at the imperial Inca site of Caranqui, northern highland Ecuador (2014)

by Boleslo E Romero and Tamara Bray

The relatively recent availability of terrestrial lidar for mapping archaeological subjects has a... more The relatively recent availability of terrestrial lidar for mapping archaeological subjects has allowed for great advances in representation and reconstruction but the analytic potential of this technology remains underdeveloped in archaeology. This paper provides an overview of the analytical directions we are taking with point cloud data generated through ground-based laser scanning at the imperial Inca site of Caranqui in northern Ecuador. Our approach to data analysis employs insights and ideas from the domains of GIScience, remote sensing, cartography, computer vision and hydrology. While creating a comprehensive visual record of the site was an important project goal, we also sought to develop improved methods of feature extraction and surface calibration to better understand water manipulation and flows at the site. Here we highlight some of the preliminary results of our analyses as well as the challenges and benefits of employing terrestrial lidar to investigate a mid-sized archaeological site.

Water, Ritual and Power in the Inca Empire

Latin American Antiquity, 2013

Encuentros imperiales: Contingencia histórica, agencia local, e hibridad

In "La Cerámica Arqueológica en la Materialización de la Sociedad: Transformaciones, Metáforas, y Reproducción Social," Gustavo de la Fuente and María Cecilia Páez (eds.), pp. 61-78. Universidad de Catamarca, Argentina., 2011

From Rational to Relational: Re-configuring Value (2012)

In "The Construction of Value in the Ancient World,” G. Urton and J. Papadoupoulus, pp. 344-357. Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA., 2012

The modern Western notion of value carries much economic baggage and arguably privileges the matt... more The modern Western notion of value carries much economic baggage and arguably privileges the matter of value over the spirit of value. In line with what has recently been characterized as the "ontological turn" in anthropology, this paper takes the nature of value as the initial and essential problematic. Rather than according ontological priority to either abstract notions of value or intrinsic properties of objects, I suggest that we approach value as both relational and situated. Adopting a relational theory of value directs us toward consideration of the personal, social, and aesthetic contexts within which such relations are constituted and expressed. It also recognizes that value to be realized must be embodied, that value is always comparatively constructed, and that value rather than comprising an either/or quality typically registers on a gradient. To illustrate these theoretical concepts, I provide a discussion on the materialization of value in the context of imperial Inca society, highlighting the hierarchical and relational nature of valued objects in the late pre-Columbian Andes, as well as the reflexivity between social and material categories of value or worth.

Ritual Commensality between Human and Non-Human Persons Investigating Native Ontologies in the Late Pre-Columbian Andean World

eTopoi. Journal of Ancient Studies (Berlin), 2012

In anthropology, it has become axiomatic that social relationships are constructed through food p... more In anthropology, it has become axiomatic that social relationships are constructed through food practices and embodied in food. This paper suggests that both ritual and quotidian commensality have as either a goal or a consequence the construction of specific relations of sociality, and in this regard are not so different. What may distinguish these spheres of commensality, however, are the types of persons engaged in the act of shared consumption. The paper considers ritual commensality as a means of exploring the social universe and indigenous ontology of native Andean peoples, using both archaeological and ethnohistoric data. The role such commensal activities may have played in the construction of, and engagement with, other-than-human persons in the late pre-Columbian Andes is considered.

El papel de la coca en la interacción macro-regional en el área intermedia y más alla.

In "Arqueología en el Área Intermedia," Victor González (ed.), pp. 337-366. Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia, Bogotá, 2011

The Archaeology of Wak’as: Explorations of the Sacred in the Pre-Columbian Andes. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact

Lenguajes Visuales de los Inca (co-edited with Paola Gonzalez). British Archaeological Reports, International Series 1848, Oxford.

The Archaeology and Politics of Food and Feasting in Early States and Empires. Kluwer Scientific & Plenum Press, New York.

The Future of the Past: Archaeologists, Native Americans and Repatriation. Garland Publishing Company, New York

Intercambio y Comercio Entre Sierra, Selva, y Costa: Arqueología y Etnohistoria de Suramérica. (co-edited w/Felipe Cárdenas). Universidad los Andes Press, Bogotá

Reckoning with the Dead: The Larsen Bay Repatriation and the Smithsonian Institution (co-edited with Thomas W. Killion). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Syllabus: Indigenous Science & Epistemology Seminar (ANT 7630)

Indigenous Science and Epistemologies "As we experience the world, so we are also experienced by ... more Indigenous Science and Epistemologies "As we experience the world, so we are also experienced by the world." (Greg Cajete, AD 2000) "We look on the same stars, the sky is common, the same world surrounds us. What difference does it make by what pains each seeks the truth? We cannot attain to so great a mystery by one road only." (Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, AD 384) Course Description: This graduate seminar is designed for advanced anthropology students & advanced students from related fields. The aim is to explore the different ways of knowing & being in the world associated with indigenous peoples. Through reading & discussion, we will develop an appreciation for the ways in which the notion of science, scientific methodologies, & scientific questions of concern derive fundamentally from how we understand the world to be-in other words, from our own ontologically-grounded understandings of reality. How things found in the world are categorized, whether things are viewed as divisible or indivisible, what is considered alive and what inanimate, who is a what and what is a who-the answers to such questions inform the ways in which "science," in any culture, proceeds. How such questions are formulated & investigated, as well as the ethical implications, will be the focus of this class. Learning Objectives and Outcomes: The objectives of this course are to (1) foster an appreciation for non-western ways of understanding the world; (2) compare the bases of empirically-derived knowledge from different cultural perspectives; (3) enable recognition that western science is undertaken from within a specific ontological and cultural framework; (4) engage critically with the ethics of different epistemologies and their contemporary impacts and significance; and (5) hone your confidence and skills in leading group discussions.