Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

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Recent Discoveries in Andean Prehistory

Charles Stanish
Professor, Department of Anthropology
Director, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA

The Andes mountains have been home to human cultures for at least twelve millennia. In this rugged and economically challenging environment, people have adapted their cultures to meet the demands of everyday life. In particular, exchange between mountain and lowland groups developed early on as a means to adjust to this environment.

This paper presents an overview of some of the most recent archaeological discoveries in the circum-Titicaca Basin region of the Central Andes. In the past few years, researchers have discovered a number of ancient settlements in this lake basin that sits 3800 meters above sea level. These settlements teach us much about the indigenous peoples who lived in the region prior to European contact. In this talk, I highlight the nature of the exchange systems in prehistory and will explore the means by which pre-industrial mountain peoples were able to maintain a rich cultural heritage in this most demanding of environments.