The Ancient Central Andes presents a general overview of the
prehistoric peoples and cultures of the Central Andes, the region now
encompassing most of Peru and significant parts of Ecuador, Bolivia,
northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina.
The book contextualizes past and modern scholarship and provides a
balanced view of current research. Two opening chapters present the
intellectual, political, and practical background and history of
research in the Central Andes and the spatial, temporal, and formal
dimensions of the study of its past. Chapters then proceed in
chronological order from remote antiquity to the Spanish Conquest. A
number of important themes run through the book, including: the tension
between those scholars who wish to study Peruvian antiquity on a
comparative basis and those who take historicist approaches; the concept
of "Lo Andino," commonly used by many specialists that assumes
long-term, unchanging patterns of culture some of which are claimed to
persist to the present; and culture change related to severe
environmental events. Consensus opinions on interpretations are
highlighted as are disputes among scholars regarding interpretations of
the past.
The Ancient Central Andes provides an up-to-date, objective survey of
the archaeology of the Central Andes that is much needed. Students and
interested readers will benefit greatly from this introduction to a key
period in South America's past.
