The Proyecto Arqueológico de Lugar, Plantas, y Animales de los Collaguas Antiguos (ALPACA) investigates the prehistoric farming practices of the Collaguas of the Colca Valley (Arequipa, Peru) to understand how wealth and inequality are generated under conditions of crisis. The research focuses on the Late Intermediate Period (ca 1000 – 1450 CE), a period in which farmers in the valley faced numerous uncertainties, including drought, warfare, and political instability. It has long been assumed that under such conditions, farmers adopt more diverse and dispersed farming and herding strategies, resulting in limited wealth and inequality. Yet, this traditional account makes simplistic assumptions about the relationship between food production, the environment, and sociopolitical complexity. Can intensive farming persist despite conditions of drought, warfare, and political instability? Conversely, can the adoption of more diverse subsistence strategies actually lead to widening social inequality?

Proyecto Alpaca is led by Lauren Kohut (Winthrop University), BrieAnna Langlie (Binghamton University), and Matthew Velasco (Cornell University).

Acknowledgements: This project is funded by a National Science Foundation Senior Research Grant (Award Nos. 2243116, 2243117, 2243118).