Irrigation and Society in the Peruvian Desert

Irrigation and Society in the Peruvian Desert PDF Author: Katharina Jeanne Schreiber
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 9780739106419
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Irrigation and Society: The Puquios of Nasca looks at the legendary puquios of Nasca, the underground aqueduct system built by Incans which is arguably responsible for this desert region's strange abundance of water. Authors Katharina Schreiber and Josuz Lancho explore the puqios, their probable means of construction and their function in ancient society to address the larger issue of the role of large scale irrigation in the emergence of soci-political complexity.

Irrigation and Society in the Peruvian Desert

Irrigation and Society in the Peruvian Desert PDF Author: Katharina Jeanne Schreiber
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 9780739106419
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Irrigation and Society: The Puquios of Nasca looks at the legendary puquios of Nasca, the underground aqueduct system built by Incans which is arguably responsible for this desert region's strange abundance of water. Authors Katharina Schreiber and Josuz Lancho explore the puqios, their probable means of construction and their function in ancient society to address the larger issue of the role of large scale irrigation in the emergence of soci-political complexity.

Water Engineering in the Ancient World

Water Engineering in the Ancient World PDF Author: Charles R. Ortloff
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191553549
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
Charles Ortloff provides a new perspective on archaeological studies of the urban and agricultural water supply and distribution systems of the major ancient civilizations of South America, the Middle East, and South-East Asia, by using modern computer analysis methods to extract the true hydraulic/hydrological knowledge base available to these peoples. His many new revelations about the capabilities and innovations of ancient water engineers force us to re-evaluate what was known and practised in the hydraulic sciences in ancient times. Given our current concerns about global warming and its effect on economic stability, it is fascinating to observe how some ancient civilizations successfully coped with major climate change events by devising defensive agricultural survival strategies, while others, which did not innovate, failed to survive.

Water and Power in Highland Peru

Water and Power in Highland Peru PDF Author: Paul H. Gelles
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 9780813528076
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Cabanaconde, a town of 5,000 people, is located in the arid Andean highlands. It is dominated by the foreboding Hualca Hualca mountain peak that is the source of this town's much-needed water. How the villagers obtain this water, Paul Gelles writes, is not a simple process: the politics of irrigation in this area reflect a struggle for control of vital resources, deeply rooted in the clash between local, ritualized models of water distribution and the secular model put forth by the Peruvian state. Water and Power in Highland Peru provides an insightful case study on the intense conflicts over water rights, and a framework for studying ethnic conflict and the effects of "development," not only in Peru, but in other areas as well. Most of the inhabitants of Cabanaconde do not identify themselves with the dominant Spanish-speaking culture found in Peru. And the Peruvian state, grounded in a racist, post-Colonial ethos, challenges the village's long-standing, non-Western framework for organizing water management. Gelles demonstrates that Andean culture is dynamic and adaptive, and it is a powerful source of ethnic identity, even for those who leave the village to live elsewhere. Indigenous rituals developed in this part of the world, he states, have become powerful tools of resistance against interference by local elites and the present-day Peruvian state. Most importantly, the micropolitics of Cabanaconde provide a window into a struggle that is taking place around the world.

Beyond Collapse

Beyond Collapse PDF Author: Ronald K. Faulseit
Publisher: SIU Press
ISBN: 0809333996
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 553

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Book Description
This book interprets how ancient civilizations responded to various stresses, including environmental change, warfare, and the fragmentation of political institutions. It focuses on what happened during and after the decline of once powerful regimes, and posits that they experienced social resilience and transformation instead of collapse.

Settlement Ecology of the Ancient Americas

Settlement Ecology of the Ancient Americas PDF Author: Lucas C. Kellett
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317369661
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 331

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Book Description
In this exciting new volume several leading researchers use settlement ecology, an emerging approach to the study of archaeological settlements, to examine the spatial arrangement of prehistoric settlement patterns across the Americas. Positioned at the intersection of geography, human ecology, anthropology, economics and archaeology, this diverse collection showcases successful applications of the settlement ecology approach in archaeological studies and also discusses associated techniques such as GIS, remote sensing and statistical and modeling applications. Using these methodological advancements the contributors investigate the specific social, cultural and environmental factors which mediated the placement and arrangement of different sites. Of particular relevance to scholars of landscape and settlement archaeology, Settlement Ecology of the Ancient Americas provides fresh insights not only into past societies, but also present and future populations in a rapidly changing world.

The Struggle for Water in Peru

The Struggle for Water in Peru PDF Author: Paul B. Trawick
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 0804731381
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
This ecological history of peasant society in the Peruvian Andes focuses on the politics of irrigation and water management in three villages whose terraces and canal systems date back to Inca times. Set in a remote valley, the book tells a story of domination and resulting social decline, showing how basic changes in the use of land, water, and labor have been pivotal in transforming the indigenous way of life. The author carries out a comparison of contemporary practices in communities that vary systematically along certain dimensions. He analyzes the communities’ similarities and differences in hydraulic organization, landscaping, water use, and other variables. Strikingly diverse patterns appear in local practice, which prove to be the key to unraveling the area’s history. The book concludes by describing the recent intensification of a water conflict. This struggle between peasants and former landlords ultimately led villagers to rise up against the national government. The story culminates in the violent intrusion of the revolutionary group known as Shining Path.

The Ancient Central Andes

The Ancient Central Andes PDF Author: Jeffrey Quilter
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000584194
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 556

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Book Description
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.

The Andean World

The Andean World PDF Author: Linda J. Seligmann
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317220773
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1496

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Book Description
This comprehensive reference offers an authoritative overview of Andean lifeways. It provides valuable historical context, and demonstrates the relevance of learning about the Andes in light of contemporary events and debates. The volume covers the ecology and pre-Columbian history of the region, and addresses key themes such as cosmology, aesthetics, gender and household relations, modes of economic production, exchange, and consumption, postcolonial legacies, identities, political organization and movements, and transnational interconnections. With over 40 essays by expert contributors that highlight the breadth and depth of Andean worlds, this is an essential resource for students and scholars alike.

The Ancient Andean Village

The Ancient Andean Village PDF Author: Kevin J. Vaughn
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 9780816527069
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
Although ancient civilizations in the Andes are rich in historyÑwith expansive empires, skilled artisans, and vast temple centersÑthe history of the Andean foothills on the south coast of present-day Peru is only now being unveiled. Nasca, a prehispanic society that flourished there from AD 1 to 750, is best known for its polychrome pottery, its enigmatic geoglyphs (the "Nasca Lines"), and its ceremonial center, Cahuachi, which was the seat of power in early Nasca. However, despite the fact that archaeologists have studied Nasca civilization for more than a century, until now they have not pieced together the daily lives of Nasca residents. With this book, Kevin Vaughn offers the first portrait of village life in this ancient Andean society. Vaughn is interested in how societies develop and change, in particular their subsistence and political economies, interactions between elites and commoners, and the ritual activities of everyday life. By focusing on one village, Marcaya, he not only illuminates the lives and relationships of its people but he also contributes to an understanding of the more general roles played by villages in the growth of increasingly complex societies in the Andes. By examining agency in local affairs, he is able for the first time to explore the nature of power in Nasca and how it may have changed over time. By studying village and household activities, Vaughn argues, we can begin to appreciate from the ground up such essential activities as production, consumption, and the ideologies revealed by ritualsÑand thereby gain fresh insights into ancient civilizations.

Andean Archaeology III

Andean Archaeology III PDF Author: William Isbell
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780387757308
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 548

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Book Description
The third volume in the Andean Archaeology series, this book focuses on the marked cultural differences between the northern and southern regions of the Central Andes, and considers the conditions under which these differences evolved, grew pronounced, and diminished. This book continues the dynamic, current problem-oriented approach to the field of Andean Archaeology that began with Andean Archaeology I and Andean Archaeology II. Combines up-to-date research, diverse theoretical platforms, and far-reaching interpretations to draw provocative and thoughtful conclusions.