Settlement layout in the Peruvian Titicaca Basin

Peru is dotted with hundreds of late pre-Columbian sites whose architecture is still partly standing, offering a trove of information about the social dynamics of large Andean communities at the eve of the Spanish conquest. This project, a partnership with Ryan Smith, uses efficient archaeological methodologies, including drone-assisted mapping, to record and investigate the architectural layout of large, complex settlements in the Titicaca basin of southern Peru, where well-preserved features visible on the surface include house foundations, paths, tombs, plazas, and surrounding defensive walls.

A particular focus is untangling patterned regional variation across the Titicaca region in metrics such as the population scale (i.e., number of houses) of the largest settlements, the scale of sub-groups within large settlements, and other architectural choices that shaped social life – such as house style and shape, routes of daily movement, and the design of public spaces. The aim is to gain insight into regional variation and the possible reasons why there is so much variation. Did mostly-herders form larger social confederations than mostly-farmers, despite their lower overall population densities? Did different ethnic groups have different kinship organization, shaping the size, number, and arrangement of houses and house clusters? 

Detailed site maps are the key to these questions. We have used drone aerial photography to generate high-precision orthomosaic images of architecture at several Titicaca basin sites. Post-field analysis, currently underway, involves tracing structures and features from the images using GIS software and analyzing the resulting patterns. 

An additional benefit is documenting important sites that have not been previously mapped for future cultural heritage and conservation efforts. All images and maps are shared with the regional directorate of Peru’s Ministerio de Cultura in order to assist them in cataloguing and protecting the archaeological heritage of the region.