The Proyecto Arqueologico Pukaras de Colca (PAPC) seeks to understand how long-term social and political processes of polity formation and colonization were negotiated in a landscape of warfare. This research is situated in the dynamic political landscape of the Colca Valley in southern highland Peru, where a proliferation of hilltop fortifications during the Late Intermediate Period (1000 – 1400 CE) signals a period of frequent conflict.

This multi-scalar research focused on a 1200 km2 region in the central and upper Colca Valley in the southern Peruvian highlands, which was home to the Collaguas, a large pre-Inka ethnic polity. The first season of fieldwork, conducted in 2012, consisted of intensive survey of fortifications across the region. Our survey documented a total of 33 hilltop fortifications, ranging from small fortified outposts to large defensive settlements.

Sites were mapped using a custom mobile GIS program which allowed for detailed architectural mapping in the field. You can read more about the mobile GIS data collection system used here.

The 2013 field season was focused on test excavation at the site of Auquimarka, a fortified settlement with occupation spanning the Late Intermediate period (~1000-1450 CE) and the Late Horizon (~1450-1532 CE). During this field season, we excavated 15 households and several key public structures, including an Inka administrative building and associated plaza.