RESEARCH
The Ancient Occupation of the NivÃn, Casma, Peru: Co-Creating Heritage in Andean Archaeology
Doctoral Dissertation
My dissertation examined communities of practice over the longue durée in NivÃn, a region of the middle Casma Valley, north-central coast of Peru. Collaborative archaeological efforts between 2016 and 2019 have yielded data to investigate architecture, pottery making, and food consumption from the Early Horizon until the Late Intermediate periods. Based on multiple lines of evidence, the study explores the development of these ancient practices through time and their entanglement with broader regional phenomena. I am interested the economic, social and material implications of these practices, and how they resonate with today’s educational programs and ways young Niviñeros engage with their past, cultural heritage, and the legacy behind by their ancestors.Â
Developed within a public archaeology framework, the research was designed from the start in concert with local community members through a co-creative approach. The community requested the involvement of archaeologists, and their relationships started before any research even began in the area. This situation combined with the lack of systematic research and considerable threats to site preservation have contributed to the importance of its archaeological research.
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Characterizing the Mortuary Practices in Highland Ancash, Peru: Analysis of Funerary Contexts at Hualcayán
Master Thesis
In prehistory, the Peruvian highlands contained a complex array of mortuary practices through space and time. In the Ancash region at the site of Hualcayán, several funerary contexts have been excavated since 2011 that demonstrate this variation in mortuary practices between A.D. 1 to 1000. My thesis examined the results of a study of the archaeological materials excavated from six tombs at Hualcayán and includes the analysis of decorated ceramics, botanical and faunal remains, lithic tools, soil samples, and other artifacts. In this study, I reported the entire analysis of excavated materials from the chambers of the six tombs. This complete analysis of recovered cultural materials forms the basis for a model of the content and distribution of the types of mortuary settings at Hualcayán and their variations through time and space.
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