Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Defending Agricultural Resources during times of Conflict in the Late Intermediate Period Central Andes (1000-1450 CE)

During the Late Intermediate Period (1000 - 1450 CE), the Central Andes was characterized by high levels of warfare and paleoclimate data that indicates severe and persistent drought. In contrast to other periods, the Late Intermediate Period communities increasingly settled in hillforts, known locally as pukaras, which are defensive hilltop fortifications. Scholars have offered several explanations for warfare, including social collapse, political unrest, and environmental stress. At the same time, scholars have suggested that Late Intermediate Period drought increased agricultural risk which either increased competition over productive agricultural land or led farmers to focus on high-elevation camelid pastoralism. This study examines the relationship between agriculture and hilltop fortifications in the Lake Titicaca Basin of Peru where archaeological research has identified numerous hillforts. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to model agricultural suitability based on environmental characteristics which include elevation, slope, slope direction, and terrain. The results of the suitability analysis show that pukaras tend to be located in areas that are most well suited for agriculture, suggesting that hillfort communities sought to optimize access to cultivable land. The correspondence between pukaras suitable agricultural land suggests possible connections between warfare and the distribution of agricultural resources.