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Household and Family at Moche, Peru: An Analysis of Building and Residence Patterns in a Prehispanic Urban Center

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Hendrik Van Gijseghem
Hendrik Van Gijseghem*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, (hvl@umail.ucsb.edu)
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Abstract

The Moche was the last complex society to develop on the Peruvian north coast during the Early Intermediate Period (200 B. C.-700 A. D.). While archaeological research on the Moche has traditionally concentrated on the impressive marks of political and religious power, we know relatively little about Moche household organization and patterns of residence. In this research, conducted at the eponymous site of Moche, I identify three types of architectural organization relating to both residential and nonresidential spaces. An analysis of building materials and architectural superposition suggests a close relationship among construction quality, household size, and occupational continuity, in the case of residential architecture. The observed differences, I argue, reflect strategies of household social reproduction among Moche's urban population that depend largely on socioeconomic status. I also contend that different forms of labor were responsible for the construction of residential compounds and other specialized areas, the function of which may not be primarily residential. This research emphasizes the great potential of studying domesticity in prehistory as well as the dynamics of urban construction and suggests methods effective for the reconstruction of household forms and change in sedentary societies.

Resumen

Resumen

La cultura Moche representa la última sociedad compleja que se desarrolló en la Costa Norte del Perú durante el Período Intermedio Temprano (200 a. C.-700 d. C.). Si bien las investigaciónes acerca de esta cultura tradicionalmente se han concentrado en los impresionantes monumentos asociados con el poder político y religioso, muy poco se sabe sobre la organización de la vivienda de los Moche. En esta investigación, que se realizó en el sitio de Moche, he identificado tres tipos de organización arquitectónica. El análisis de los materiales de construcción y de las superposiciones arquitectónicas sugiere que existe una estrecha relación entre la calidad de construcción, el tamaño de la vivienda, y la continuidad de su ocupación. Encontramos que las viviendas pequeñas, en las cuales se dio poca atención a la elaboración arquitectónica, presentan una ocupación breve; fueron construidas en la tierra vacante y se abandonaron después de su ocupación. Por otra parte, en las viviendas multifamiliares más grandes se observan mayores niveles de inversión de tiempo y esfuerzos en la arquitectura, así como una ocupación continua y dinámica que puede perdurar varias generaciones. Las diferencias observadas estarían reflejando diversas estrategias en la reproducción social de los hogares familiares entre la población urbana de Moche, que habrían dependido en gran parte del estatus socioeconómico de sus habitantes. También se observa que la construcción de todos los conjuntos residenciales fue realizada con formas de organización del trabajo distintas a las aplicadas en la construcción de las edificaciones que pertenecen a la infraestructura política del estado. Los resultados de esta investigacón revelan el gran potencial que puede ofrecer el estudio de las estructuras domésticas en la prehistoria. También sugieren métodos eficaces para la reconstrucción de la forma de las viviendas y las familias, y sus cambios en las sociedades urbanas.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 12 , Issue 3 , September 2001 , pp. 257 - 273
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2001

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