UCSB Anthropology Brown Bag Lecture Series Presents:

THE CONQUEST OF NASCA, PERU

By Dr. Katharina Schreiber

In 1984, when Shining Path terrorist activity prevented further archaeological research on the Wari Empire (AD 750-1000) in the central highlands of Peru, I shifted my interest to Nasca, on the coastal desert. Known for geoglyphs (the famous "Lines of Nasca"), spectacular ceramics and textiles, next to nothing was known about Nasca society (AD 1-750). Indeed, not a single habitation site was known for the entire civilization. Even more interesting for me, it was assumed that Nasca had fallen under the domination of the Wari Empire, but no imperial administrative sites had ever been located. So starting in 1984 I returned to Nasca every year (usually accompanied by UCSB graduate and undergraduate students), to conduct a systematic surface survey of the region, along with limited mapping and excavation. Among the 800+ sites we have recorded to date, we have found Nasca sites in great abundance, and we have been able to document the rise, reorganization and collapse of the Nasca civilization. But it was not until the last afternoon, of the last day, of the last season of fieldwork in 1996 that we found the missing Wari imperial site.



Tuesday April 21, 1998; 12:30pm
HSSB 2001A, The Anthropology Conference Room

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