GIRALDO TENORIO, HERNANDO JAVIER
(2014)
SOURCES OF POWER AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOPOLITICAL COMPLEXITY IN MALAGANA, SOUTHWESTERN COLOMBIA.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
To date, archaeological research in Central America and northern South America has emphasized that religion, rather than economy, was the principal mechanism by which social inequalities were created and maintained. Malagana, the largest known prehispanic village site in the flat valley of the Cauca River of southern Colombia, however, stood out as a possible exception to such a pattern. Known for its large cemetery and many richly endowed tombs, the Malagana settlement had two concentric earthworks for defensive purposes, which is usually an indication of conflict and warfare.
To identify and assess the relative importance of different factors such as wealth accumulation, craft specialization, religious ideology, warfare, and feasting in the emergence and development of social inequalities at Malagana, a 32 ha systematic surface survey was carried out around the site in 2012.
Research revealed that during the Early El Bolo period (400 BC-800 AD), when the tombs with lavish offerings were created, warfare at Malagana was intense. The intensity of this warfare allowed leaders to not only obtain military power, but created the conditions through which they 1) monopolized the production of wealth goods that enabled military leaders to accumulate wealth and buy compliance from commoners; and 2) mobilized the population of the community to build defensive structures that allowed them manipulate architectural space and thereby control sacred areas and ancestors.
During the Late El Bolo period (800 AD-1550 AD) differences in wealth between households declined and the intensity of feasting decreased considerably. The population expanded beyond the earthworks, suggesting that protection from attacks was not as important an issue during this time. A decrease in warfare is therefore interpreted as the principal cause for the loss of power by the leaders at Malagana.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
29 May 2014 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
21 February 2014 |
| Approval Date: |
29 May 2014 |
| Submission Date: |
6 April 2014 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
295 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Anthropology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Social complexity, Malagana, Cauca River valley, Wealth inequality, craft specialization, warfare, religious ideology, feasting, prehispanic societies, Colombia, archaeology, labor mobilization, defensive architecture |
| Date Deposited: |
29 May 2014 13:44 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 14:18 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21027 |
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