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ANNUALREPORT:CORRALREDONDO2018FIELDSCHOOLDirector: MaríaCeciliaLozada,TheUniversityofChicagoCo-Directors:

HansBarnard,CotsenInstituteofArchaeology,UCLAVanessaMuros,UCLA/GettyConservationProgramErikaSimborth,IndependentResearcher,Arequipa-PerúDannyZborover,InstituteforFieldResearch

TheCorralRedondoArchaeologicalProjecthosteditsfirstIFRfieldschoolbetweenJuly22andAugust18,2018.Duringthisseason,studentsparticipatedinfourmodules:excavation,conservation,survey,andcommunityoutreach.ThisprojectrepresentsthefirstsystematicandmultidisciplinaryevaluationoftheOcoñaandSanJuandeChurungarivervalleys.CorralRedondowasdiscoveredin1943andinitialexcavationsandlootingyieldedanexquisitecollectionofWarifeatheredtextiles,largeimperialceramicvessels,andhigh-endIncaobjectstypicallyfoundincapacocharitualswererecoveredbylocalworkers(King2013;2016;Pillsbury,etal.2017:159).Sinceitsdiscovery,thesitehasbeenlootedmanytimes,erasingmuchofitsoriginalcontext.Forthe2018fieldseasonoftheCorralRedondoArchaeologicalProject,weconductedthefirstsystematicexcavationofthesitesinceitsmostrecentinstancesoflootinganddisturbance.Furthermore,theteamconductedpedestriansurvey,visitingandrecordingadditionalarchaeologicalsitesinthesurroundingregion.TheseincludethesitesofCallanga,Chillihuay,Ispana,Jarana,Ancha,Gramadal-LaVictoria,LlocllaandSantaRosa.Conservationeffortsweremadeinthelocalmuseum–locatedattheMiguelGrauelementaryschoolinIquipi–whereavaluablecollectionofarchaeologicalartifactshavebeenexhibitedandstoredunderthedirectionofMr.WillyHuashuayo,principaloftheschool.Asourteamhadmanybilingual(English-Spanish)facultyandstudents,communityoutreachinitiativesincludeddirectparticipationinschoolandcommunityactivitiesonaweeklybasis.Ourteamwasalsoinvitedtomakeaformalpresentationofourprojecttolocalofficialsatthebeginningandattheendoftheseasoninanefforttodisseminateresearchgoalsandpreliminaryresults.

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AttheCorralRedondoprojectstudentsexcavated,mapped,documented,examined,andphotographedarchaeologicalmaterialcultureconsistingofarchitecturalandmortuaryfeaturesandartifacts.Itisourworkinghypothesisthatthesitewasafocalpointofintensiveandcontinuedpagorituals,whereimportantofferingswheremadeinagoldminingareatoappeaseorgivebacktotheminesandlocalapus.WearenotsureifCorralRedondowasusedforcapacocharituals–ahigherlevelofritualthatusuallyincludeshumansacrifice–butplantofurtherexplorethatpossibilityinourfutureseasons.Apossiblehumansacrificewasrecoveredatthesite,butduetoheavylooting,itscontextanddateareunclearanditischallengingtospeculatethenatureoftheepisodeandrelationshiptoeithertheWariorIncaoccupationofthesite.

Whileconductingpedstrainsurvey,studentswereabletoidentifyarchaeologicalsites,examineresidential,ceremonialandmortuaryarchitecture,anddiscussstylisticandcontextualvariationsoculturalaffiliationandnatureofeachsitecouldbeinferred.

Inthelocalmuseum,studentslearnedaboutconservationprinciplesofarchaeologicalcollections,museumdevelopmentandmuseummanagement.Studentsalsohadtheopportunitytotalktovisitorsabouttherichlocalpastandtheroleofthemuseuminthecommunity.Toalargerdegree,discussionsoftherelationshipbetweenpastandpresentaswellascommunityidentityinrelationshiptothearchaeologicalpastwereconstantandimportatcomponentsthatbondedstudent,faculty,andcommunitymembers.

Eachstudentlearnedtheprinciplesofarchaeologicalexcavation.Inthismodule,therationaleforexcavationandplanningwasdiscussed.Weintroducedstudentstofieldequipmentnecessaryforproperexcavation.Studentsmappedexcavationunitsandconductedasystematiccollectionofculturalremainsonthesurfaceofthesite,whichconsistedmostlyofceramicsherdsaswellasanimalandhumanremains.Studentslearnedtechniquesofexcavation,methodstoidentifyanddefineculturalandnaturalstratigraphy,andapproachestodeterminetheculturalaffiliationofthematerialscollected.Studentsalsopracticeddetaileddocumentationofeachexcavationunitthroughdrawings,notes,photographs,anddigitalrecordinginanOCHREdigitaldatabase.

Duringthemoduleonsurveytechniques,studentswereintroducedtotheuseofdifferentialGPS(aTrimbleGeo7Xrover,correctedwiththedatafromaTrimble6HantennaattachedtoaJuno3Bdatalogger),fieldwalking,andmoretraditionalarchaeologicalsurveyapproaches(locatingsites,followedbyestablishingtheiroutline,function,anddate).StudentsparticipatinginthismodulelaterassistedwiththemappingofCorralRedondoandanumberofancientsitesintheimmediateenvirons,includingAncha,Callanga,Ceniceros,Ispana,Jarana,LaVictoria,Lloclla,andSantaRosa.ActivitiesincludedthecollectionofDGPSdatapoints,insituphotographyofstructuresandartifacts,andlow-leveldronephotography.

Conservationwasanothercentralmoduletoourproject.Thismodulefocusedontheconservationofarchaeologicalobjectsondisplayinasmalllocalmuseum,teachingmethodsandtechniquesthatcouldbeappliedtorecentlyexcavatedmaterialaswell.Themajorityoftreatmentscenteredonthetextilepiecesdonatedtothemuseumbylocalmembersofthecommunity.Theseweretheobjectsthatweremostinneedofstabilizationandthereforedesignatedasprioritiesfortreatment.Studentsparticipatinginthismodulepracticedthebasicsoftextilecleaningandparticipatedinsystematicanalysisoftextilesondisplay.Duringthisactivity,thestudentswereaskedtoexamineanddescribethecompositionandstructureoffabricsfromthecollection.Attheconclusionofthismodule,studentswereabletoidentifyand

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describedifferentweavingmethods,determineiftextileswereneworused,andclassifythetypesoffiberusedinthemuseum’stextiles.

AllmembersoftheCorralRedondoteamparticipatedincommunityoutreachinitiatives.Asanexample,facultyandstudentsofferedadvicetostudentsoftheMiguelGrauHighSchoolfortheir“ScienceFair”project.Infact,twogroupsofstudentsdevelopedtheirprojectbasedonthearchaeologyofthearea.Aspartoftheseefforts,weengagedwiththecommunityregardingtheexpansionofthemuseumandarrangedvisitstovariousarchaeologicalsites.Peruvianstudentsusedthislearningplatformtodevelopscienceposterstocompetewithotherschoolsintheregion.LocalstudentsvisitedCorralRedondoandalsootherarchaeologicalsitessuchasChillihuay.Theseeventswerewellattendedandgeneratedlivelydiscussionsregardingthepastandthefutureofregion,asfarasarchaeologyisconcerned.

Fieldschoolstudentsalsoparticipatedinnon-academiccommunitybuildingendeavorssuchassoccer,football,andbasketballmatches,allofwhichhelpedtocreatestrongbondsoffriendshipandtrustwithmembersoftheIquipicommunity.Ourfinalactivityincludedaninteractiveworkshopwiththecommunityheldontheschoolpremises.Visitorslearnedthebasicsofosteologicalanalysis,reconstructionofceramics,surveyprinciples,quipuknottingandmeaning,anduseofdronesforaerialphotographyandsurveywork.

Insummary,ourexcavationresultsechoaccountsbyPeruvianscholarsregardingthenatureofthesite.CorralRedondowasahighlyritualizedsitelocatedatthejunctureoftworiverdrainages.WarisherdsrecoveredthroughoutthesitereflecttheextensiveuseofCorralRedondoduringtheMiddleHorizonperiod(ca.600-1,000CE)outsideoftheWaricapitalinAyacucho.EvidenceofIncawaslimitedtoshellfragmentsofSpondylusintheareawereIncaofferingswererecoveredbetweenthetwowallsintheeasternportionofthesite.Althoughthesitewasheavilylooted,someoriginalstratigraphyisstillevidentnearthewallsandweplantocarefullyexaminethoseinthe2019season.Black,incisedceramicsrecoveredatthesitesuggestapotentialmuchearlierinitialoccupationofCorralRedondo,likelydatedtotheFormativePeriod(Chavin?Pukara?).Thishypothesistoowillhavetobecarefullyexaminedinthe2019season.