Economic Directness in the Western Andes: A New Model of Socioeconomic Organization for the Paracas Culture in the First Millennium BC

• DOI: 10.1017/laq.2022.40
• Publication Date: 2022-05-17T06:57:40Z
• Authors: Christian Mader; Markus Reindel; Johny Isla
• Keywords: Settlement (finance); Consumption

Economic directness is a new model of socioeconomic organization for the Paracas culture (800–200 BC) in southern Peru, with wider implications economic theory prehispanic Andean past. Using an archaeoeconomic approach to analyze settlement patterns, obsidian artifacts, malacological material, and camelid skeletal remains, this study reconstructs economy by using primary archaeological data from northern Nasca Drainage. Its results force reconsideration existing models ancient Andes such as verticality, circuit mobility, llama caravan transhumance, market concepts. Whereas components typical these are often absent case economy, our proposal integrates their relevant aspects. defined essentially direct access important resources diverse ecological tiers, down-the-line exchanges, reduced transaction costs, transport, unbalanced commodity flows across western Andes, forces supply demand major consumption on coast. These features formed under conditions population growth, generating continuous dense pattern Pacific coast highland puna zone.