Department of Anthropology, Economics and Political Science
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Item Predicting North American Late Pleistocene archaeology using an optimal foraging model(1989) Zutter, CynthiaThis study outlines an alternative method for increasing the Late Pleistocene archaeological record in North America. An optimal foraging model is formulated based on reconstructed biomass quantities for the vegetation and fauna of the Ice-free corridor region of western Canada. The most productive areas during the Late Pleistocene are assumed to be the most probably locations for human settlements and archaeological sites.Item Countertrade in third world mutual trade: some notes(1989) Mensah, ChaldeansSouth-South trade has increasingly taken the form of countertrade, a phenomenon variously described as representing 'a freeing' of trade among Third World countries, 'an aberrant feature of the multilateral trading system' and 'a means of maintaining South-South trade which might otherwise not take place'. The paradox inherent in countertrade is clear. Its alleged aberrancy derives from the fact that it entails many of the restrictive and discriminatory practices associated with the bilaterism of the pre-1939 era and also in the fact that in some instances it allows participants to provide each other preferential terms such as subsidies or discounts which can be kept secret from other partners, but at the same time it represents one of the strictest forms of reciprocity - a principle at the heart of the global trading framework.Item Cahuachi: new evidence for an early Nasca ceremonial role(1994) Valdez, Lidio M.Having conducted archaeological excavations at the early Nasca site of Cahuachi in 1952-53, Strong concluded that the site was composed of temples, cemeteries, and house mounds. Subsequent scholars stressed the apparent presence of house structures, and this and its size led to an interpretation of the site as an urban center. This interpretation remained dominant in Peruvian archaeology until very recently.Item Arqueologia de la Cuenca del Qaracha, Ayacucho, Peru(1994) Valdez, Lidio M.; Vivanco, CiriloIn order to evaluate the Precolumbian occupation of the Qaracha Basin (Ayacucho, Peru), we carried out an archaeological survey in 1988, which yielded evidence of three main occupations, the first under Wari domination ca. A.D. 600, with settlements located 2,800-3,650 m asl, in control of farmland linked to corn cultivation. Around A.D. 900 the Wari sites were abandoned, and new fortified sites were built in strategic positions in the upper elevations. Inka control of the central Andes brought about abandonment of the fortified sites and the founding of new Inka sites (mitimaes) near the ancient Wari sites. We believe that the first change was tied to collapse of the Wari state, which was followed by an unsettled situation in which former elements of the Wari state were at war. The final change ended the chaotic period with the birth of the Inka state in the Andes.Item Antidumping, antitrust, and competition(1997) Colonescu, ConstantinThis work develops a two-country, two-firm model of imperfect competition to show that antitrust policy may be anticompetitive both at home and abroad. Antidumping has a procompetitive effect abroad. At home antidumping is anticompetitive in a static framework but procompetitive in a repeated game. The anticompetitive effect of antidumping is shown to be enhanced by the presence of a domestic antitrust policy. If trade and antitrust policies are co-ordinated, welfare is found to be more sensitive to antitrust than to antidumping. Hence, antidumping and antitrust are imperfect substitutes.Item Reconsidering the archaeological rarity of guinea pig bones in the Central Andes(1997) Valdez, Lidio M.In his Peru Before the Incas, E. P. Lanning suggested that guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) might have been one of the most important food animals in the ancient central Andes (1967:18): "If we had any way of estimating the number of guinea pigs eaten in ancient times, we might find that they ranked with seafood as the most important sources of protein in the ancient diet, well ahead of the camelids and the Andean deer." Lanning was convinced that these small rodents, often kept in the kitchen and usually fed table scraps, were seriously underrepresented in the archaeological record and thus the quantity of their bones uncovered during excavation was not a true reflection of what might have been eaten in the past. Since Lanning's observation, excavations have been carried out at many central Andean archaeological sites, and they have yielded guinea pig bones only occasionally. Compared with the quantity of bones of the South American camelids, the quantity of guinea pig bones is insignificant.Item Ecology and ceramic production in an Andean community: a reconsideration of the evidence(1997) Valdez, Lidio M.D. E. Arnold has argued that contemporary ceramic production in Quinua, Ayacucho, Peru, is "an adaptation to the marginal agricultural environment in which people began to maximize the use of nonagricultural resources." On the basis of the Quinua data, Arnold has stated that during the prehistoric Middle Horizon period, ceramic production in the Ayacucho Valley may have been due to the same factor since Quinua is located near the ancient city of Wari, an area with "sufficient quantity and diversity of ceramic resources" and thus ecologically favorable for pottery making. However, the existence of present-day pottery-making communities in areas of rich agricultural resources challenges Arnold's conclusions. Similarly, archaeological evidence from the Ayacucho Valley conflicts with Arnold's ecological characterization of ceramic production in Ayacucho.Item Review: Pathways of memory and power: ethnography and history among an Andean people by Thomas A. Abercrombie(1998) Valdez, Lidio M.Pathways of Power: Ethnography and History Among an Andean People is an understandable analysis of the ancient and present history of K'ulta, a community of shepherds from the south of Oruro, Bolivia.Item The Nasca and the Valley of Acari: cultural interaction on the Peruvian south coast during the first four centuries A.D.(1998) Valdez, Lidio M.On the basis of the initial studies carried out by D. Menzel and F. A. Riddell in 1954 in the Acari Valley, Peru, and from further visits, J. H. Rowe argued that the Nasca 3 pottery found in Acari "likely" represented a "Nasca invasion." Rowe's hypothesis was never tested, but frequently was cited as evidence of the Nasca invasion/occupation of Acari. This dissertation is aimed at evaluating the above assumption. Since Rowe's model was developed on the basis of pottery found in Acari, the pottery associated with the so-called "Nasca" walled sites of Acari is evaluated. According to this study, early Nasca is not the pottery style common to the Acari sites. Instead, there is an overwhelming presence of a type of pottery which is markedly different from the Nasca style. This style appears to be local and is referred to in this study as Huarato pottery. The presence of settlements distintive from Nasca in Acari strongly suggests that during the first four centuries A.D. the Acari Valley was inhabited by a local cultural tradition. It was into the context of this local culture that a few Nasca ceramics were first introduced, during Nasca phase 2. During Nasca phase 3 the number of Nasca items introduced to Acari increased, but began to decline during Nasca phase 4. Nasca 5 pottery has not been reported from Acari. In addition to securing some Nasca goods, the local inhabitants of Acari imitated early Nasca motifs. While early Nasca art was so rich in themes, only specific ones were emulated in Acari, however. It is of interest to point out that the introduction of the few Nasca goods to Acari took place when the early Nasca ceremonial center of Cahuachi was at its climax. It is possible, then, that the introduced items were brought to Acari by local residents who had made pilgrimage visits to this center. Considering the ideological significance of Cahuachi, it can be argued that the Nasca goods found in Acari perhaps symbolized the prestige of this center and as such likely were owned by specific individuals. If so, these foreign goods must have been regarded as "status insignia." In this regard, on the basis of current information, Rowe's hypothesis cannot be validated.Item Congruence of concordance in archaeobotany: assessing micro- and macro-botanical data sets from Icelandic middens(1999) Zutter, CynthiaArchaeological farm middens dating from the Viking Age to early modern times are found throughout the North Atlantic region and contribute information regarding past ecological and economic conditions. Archaeobotanical investigations of two Icelandic farm midden sites are interpreted for plant-use trends in this northern pastoral economic system. Macro-botanical (i.e., seeds, leaves) and micro-botanical (i.e., pollen) remains are compared in order to assess the degree of congruence between these differing data sets. The background signature of macro- and micro-botanical variability in Icelandic pastoral practices is established through the analysis of present-day farmyard contexts for the assessment of differing archaeobotanical remains. Results indicate micro- and macro-botanical remains from Icelandic archaeological sites are not congruent since plants and plant parts are differentially collected and utilized by humans and these patterns of plant-use will effect whether or not micro- or macro-remnants are incorporated into the archaeological record.Item On ch'arki consumption in the ancient central Andes: a cautionary note(2000) Valdez, Lidio M.Recently, Andeanist zooarchaeologists have introduced the so-called "ch'arki effect": a taphonomic factor to explain the disproportional occurrence of some camelid skeletal parts at archaeological sites. Briefly, it has been argued that the lower frequency of head and foot bones is the by-product of ch 'arki (dried meat) exchange and therefore indicative of ch 'arki consumption. This generalization, however, is problematic. When fresh meat is distributed (by trade) and consumed, exactly the same pattern as with charki distribution is produced. To infer ch'arki consumption on the basis of the absence of head and lower limb bones is therefore misleading.Item Wood and plant-use in 17th-19th century Iceland: archaeobotanical analysis of Reykholt, western Iceland(2000) Zutter, CynthiaAs part of a multidisciplinary investigation of post-medieval Icelandic land and plant use practices, archaeobotanical samples were collected from Reykholt, west Iceland in 1988 and 1989. Analyses included plant macrofossils (seeds and leaves) and wood identification from excavated rooms in a 17th century farm house. In conjunction with earlier palaeoentomological studies, the functions of three different excavated rooms are inferred. Archaeobotanical results suggest that the farm was a prosperous one, with imported foodstuffs and wood implements from continental Europe.Item La tradicion cultural de Huarato de Acari y sus relaciones con Nasca(2000) Valdez, Lidio M.On the basis of recent archaeological research, the author discusses the Early Intermediate Period occupation of the Acari valley. The study is oriented to verify whether occurred a nasca conquest and occupation of Acari. The pottery study indicates the presence of a local tradition, at which context Early Nasca ceramics were introduced.Item Los sistemas de almacenamiento Inka de Tinyaq, Ayacucho, Peru(2000) Valdez, Lidio M.; Valdez, J. ErnestoThe Inka occupation of the Ayacucho Valley is a subject that has received little attention by archaeologists. Although it is evident that this valley was incorporated by the Inka, little is known regarding the role of the valley within the empire. Various studies carried out in the valley have resulted only in the location of very few Inka settlements. This information has been used by some to argue that the Ayacucho Valley played no role in the political scheme of the empire. The recent location of the Inka storehouses at Tinyaq, however, suggests that this valley was not abandoned as many have claimed. In this essay, it is our aim to evaluate the significance of the Inka structures of Tinyaq. On the basis of this data, we argue that this valley was part of the productive system of Tawantinsuyo.Item Marayniyoq, un establecimiento wari en el valle de Ayacucho, Perú(2000) Valdez, Lidio M.; Valdez, J. Ernesto; Bettcher, Katrina J.; Vivanco, CiriloIn this paper we discuss the initial results of archaeological excavation carried out at Marayniyoq, a specialized Wari facility in the Ayacucho Valley, Peru. The discovery of a series of flat worked stones used for grinding, along with rocker grinders strongly suggests that the role of Marayniyoq was focused on grain processing, probably grinding corn. Because the grinding stones are immense cut blocks it is also apparent that enormous human energy was invested in the preparation, transportation and final setup of the facility. At the same time, the presence of large ceramic vessels and other evidence suggests that the function of Marayniyoq was the grinding of malted corn (qora) for corn-beer production.Item Posoqoypata, un cementerio Wari en el valle de Ayacucho, Perú(2001) Valdez, Lidio M.; Valdez, J. Ernesto; Bettcher, Katrina J.Recently we carried out an archaeological salvage excavation at a Wari cemetery in the Ayacucho Valley of central Peru. This intervention resulted in the discovery of two totally new mortuary structure forms for the region and the Wari culture in particular. The first form is a rectangular mortuary chamber, with a small east-facing entrance, where the remains of several individuals were found. The second form is a cylindrical cist built to contain the remains of one individual. In this essay we describe both mortuary forms and compare them to other known Wari mortuary structures of the region. Considering that the first form was evidently accessible, we also discuss the possible implications of this chamber with regards to ancestor worship, keeping in mind that an important aspect of ayllu organization during Inka times was the veneration of the ancestors’ mummified bodies that were kept in accessible mortuary buildings.Item New Wari mortuary structures in the Ayacucho Valley, Peru(2002) Valdez, Lidio M.; Bettcher, Katrina J.; Valdez, J. ErnestoRecent archaeological salvage excavations in the Ayacucho Valley of the Peruvian Central Highlands resulted in the discovery of two totally new mortuary structure forms for the region andfor the Wari culture in particular. Thefirstform consists of two rectangular mortuary chambers, each with a small east-facing entrance and holding the interred remains of several individuals. The second form consists of several cylindrical cists, each containing the remains of a single individual. We describe both mortuaryf orms and compare them to other known Warim ortuary structures of the region. Since both chambers evidently were accessible, we also discuss their possible implications with regard to ancestor worship, keeping in mind that an important aspect of Inka ayllu organization was the veneration of ancestors' mummified bodies kept in accessible mortuary buildingsItem Y la tradición continúa: la alfarería de la época Inka en el Valle de Ayacucho, Perú(2002) Valdez, Lidio M.In this paper, I evaluate the stylistic classification of the so called "Chanka" pottery. On the basis of the most recent findings I argue that the Chanka pottery, in particular Arqalla and Aya Orqo types, is not an exclusive pre-Inka manifestation. The new evidence from Qaqas strongly suggests that the local pottery tradition continued being manufactured during Inka times. The Inka state, therefore, seems not to have altered much the local tradition and that local populations seem to have continued inhabiting the Ayacucho Valley, at least in its northern end.Item El valle de Ayacucho y el Tawantinsuyo(2002) Valdez, Lidio M.; Valdez, J. ErnestoThis paper is aimed to assess the situation of the Ayacucho Valley of the Peruvian central highlands before and during the lnka occupation. Until very recently, it was argued that this valley was largely abandoned during lnka times and consequently played no role within the lnka Empire. Because of new fieldwork carried out on the northern portion of the valley, it is becoming evident that in the region there were several important lnka period sites. Before the lnka conquest, the inhabitants of the region occupied sites established in defensive positions and often at higher elevation. Following lnka conquest, most of these sites were relocated to Lower elevations. At the same time, the Local pre-lnka pottery style survived and continued being manufactured during lnka times, as its occurrence at both defensive sites and low elevation sites indicates. lnka related artifacts, however, are present only at lower elevation sites.Item Market segmentation, market integration, and tacit collusion(2003) Colonescu, Constantin; Schmitt, NicolasMoving from market segmentation to market integration (firms cannot discriminate among markets) is shown to have often anticompetitive effects in an infinitely repeated Cournot game. In particular, market integration between two countries leads both of them to experience anticompetitive effects when product markets are similar. The same conclusion holds when trade liberalization is modeled as a decrease in bilateral trade barriers followed by moving from market segmentation to market integration. The analysis also predicts that a less efficient country (like a country in transition) enjoys pro–competitive effects from market integration.