Archaeology Lecture: A High Altitude Big Bang: Late Formative Period Archaeology of the Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia

The site of Tiwanaku, located on the edge of Lake Titicaca in the high plains or "altiplano" of the Bolivian Andes, has intrigued archaeologists for over a century. In recent years, however, we have seen an explosion of research at both Tiwanaku (475-1100 AD), and neighbouring earlier Late Formative (300 BC-475 AD) sites.

Questions concerning the "evolution of the state" and the "emergence of inequality" drive many projects, including several that I have contributed to. This work is contributing to a more nuanced perspective to the environmental and historical processes prior to Tiwanaku. In this talk I discuss some of the recent research on this Late Formative Period and our current understanding of Tiwanaku. I explore what made up everyday life before and during the Tiwanaku periods, touching on crafting, farming, and food consumption, and present evidence for regional ceremonial ritual traditions.

I argue that while some of these social changes were gradual, there was a "big bang" — an explosion of politics and new economies (and creative endeavors) around the end of the 4th century AD. I present some of the current explanations for this "big bang" and discuss some of the processes that lead up to the first city in the highlands of Andean South America, and touch on current understandings of its downfall.