74. Backstory: Plazas and a “public”

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Figures xv
4. Tables xxi
5. Acknowledgments xxiii
6. Frameworks
7. 1. Introduction 2
8. 2. Framework: Knowledge production at Yutopian 8
9. 3. Framework: Ambiguity and the lust for certitude 12
10. Project Context
11. 4. Narrative: Project origins in a British steak dinner 18
12. 5. Socio-politics: Finding Northwest Argentina 23
13. 6. Narrative: Archaeologists and lugareños meet at Yutopian 28
14. 7. Backstory: Chronology in Northwest Argentina 35
15. 8. Argument: Ceramic sequences and social processes 45
16. 9. Narrative: Why excavate at Yutopian? 48
17. 10. Socio-politics: Should North American archaeologists dig in Argentina? 51
18. Starting to Dig
19. 11. Argument: The positionality of practice 56
20. 12. Episode: Digging test pits 60
21. 13. Raw data: What the test pits told us 63
22. 14. Narrative: The incredible Pozo de Prueba 18 65
23. 15. Episode: Extending test pit excavations 67
24. 16. Andean ways: Inadvertent human remains 70
25. 17. Episode: Opening Estructura Uno 71
26. 18. Raw data: Inventory of artifact counts and special finds from Units 300, 301 and 302 76
27. 19. Narrative: Emotional moments 79
28. 20. Andean ways: The rodeo 81
29. 21. Argument: Excavation forms 83
30. Estructura Dos
31. 22. Narrative: Coming and going 90
32. 23. Episode: Expectations and excavations in Estructura Dos 92
33. 24. Los hermanos 98
34. 25. Raw data: Inventory of special finds from Estructura Dos 99
35. 26. Narrative: Why was Estructura Dos disappointing? 100
36. 27. Backstory: Why live in a semi-subterranean house? 102
37. Estructura Uno
38. 28. Episode: Excavating Estructura Uno 108
39. 29. Descriptive data: A tour of the occupation floor of Estructura Uno 112
40. 30. Raw data: Inventory of special and general finds from Estructura Uno, Units 303–306 117
41. 31. Major ambiguity: Metallurgy in the house? 120
42. 32. Argument: How the gendered household works 123
43. 33. Andean ways: Buy the cage and get the chicken 127
44. 34. Episode: Analysis in the field 128
45. Estructura Tres
46. 35. Narrative: Arrivals, decisions, decisions! 132
47. 36. Backstory: Andean ethnobotany and flotation at Yutopian 135
48. 37. Episode: Excavating Estructura Tres 138
49. 38. Raw data: Inventory of special finds from Estructura Tres 142
50. 39. Narrative: The peculiar pits of Estructura Tres 143
51. 40. Andean ways: Honoring Pachamama 148
52. Interpreting Núcleo Uno
53. 41. Episode: Exploring Núcleo Uno’s shared patio 154
54. 42. The square feature in the round patio 157
55. 43. Descriptive data: The entranceways of Núcleo Uno 160
56. 44. Narrative: The life history of Núcleo Uno 163
57. 45. Cooking the data: Changing patterns of lithic consumption in Núcleo Uno—Chalcedony and obsidian 166
58. 46. Narrative: How unique is Núcleo Uno at Yutopian? 169
59. 47. Backstory: How unique is Núcleo Uno in the world? 171
60. Estructura Once and the Issue of Remodeling Houses
61. 48. Episode: The call of Estructura Once 176
62. 49. Andean ways: Eating quirquincho (armadillo) 181
63. 50. Raw data: Diagnostic ceramics by level from Estructura Once 183
64. 51. Descriptive data: Remodeling and repositioning the doorways 184
65. 52. Narrative: What did we learn from Estructura Once? 186
66. 53. Puzzle: What about the saucer-shaped house floors? 188
67. 54. Episode: Pozos de Prueba 12 and 12a 190
68. Estructura Cuatro
69. 55. Episode: Opening up Estructura Cuatro (1996) 194
70. 56. Narrative in two modalities: The tri-lobate hearth 197
71. 57. Descriptive data: The hearth occupation level in Estructura Cuatro 201
72. 58. Narrative: Last-day fervor in Estructura Cuatro 205
73. 59. Socio-politics: Good-byes 207
74. 60. Episode: Estructura Cuatro excavations in 1998— The lower occupation 209
75. 61. Raw data: Inventory of special finds from Estructura Cuatro 213
76. 62. Descriptive data: The cache pit 215
77. 63. Andean ways: Chañar drinks 218
78. Looking for Núcleo Dos
79. 64. Narrative: Where was Estructura Cuatro’s entranceway? 222
80. 65. Episode: Searching for Cinco and Núcleo Dos 226
81. 66. Raw data: Inventory of special finds from Estructura Cinco 231
82. 67. Narrative: Radical remodeling in Núcleo Dos 232
83. 68. Argument: Estructura Cuatro—Ritual and quotidian 235
84. 69. Narrative: A lab for all reasons 237
85. 70. Socio-politics: Yutopian in the community 239
86. Understanding Yutopian as an Early Formative Settlement
87. 71. Raw data: Comparative characteristics of Yutopian structures 244
88. 72. Raw data: Radiocarbon chronology 245
89. 73. Narrative: The Formative settlement at Yutopian 250
90. 74. Backstory: Plazas and a “public” 254
91. 75. Argument: Yutopian’s boundaries and the site map 258
92. 76. Socio-politics: Why Yutopian has so little Formative context 261
93. 77. Entranceway ideologies 263
94. 78. Andean ways: Water management at Yutopian 266
95. Data from the Experts
96. 79. Data from the experts: Agricultural practices at Yutopian (with Jack Rossen) 270
97. 80. Data from the experts: Plants and diet, now and then (with Jack Rossen) 274
98. 81. Data from the experts: Phytolith facts 277
99. 82. Data from the experts: Faunal remains (with Andrés Izeta) 279
100. 83. Data from the experts: Ceramic forms and designs (with M. Fabiana Bugliani) 284
101. 84. Cooking the data: Chalcedony and obsidian, part 2 290
102. 85. Data: Stone tools from other angles 292
103. 86. Data: Cross-mends and what they tell us 299
104. 87. Data: Beads and spindle whorls 302
105. Cardonal by Comparison
106. 88. Narrative: The “other” Early Formative site—Cardonal 308
107. 89. Argument: Testing archaeology and its methods 312
108. 90. Socio-politics: Traveling to Cardonal 314
109. 91. Episode: A short field season testing Cardonal house structures 317
110. 92. Raw data: Special finds from the 2004 Cardonal field season 323
111. 93. Socio-politics: North-South collaborations in archaeology 325
112. 94. Backstory: Grinding stones (conanas, cutanas, morteros) and the holes in them 327
113. 95. Episode: Later work at Cardonal 331
114. 96. Andean ways: Llama caravans and long-distance exchange 333
115. 97. Narrative: Cardonal and Yutopian 337
116. Wrap-Up and Postscript
117. 98. Wrap-up: Putting the project to bed 342
118. 99. Postscript: Early Formative society— Where’s the monumental? 345
119. 100. Follow-through: References cited 350
120. Index 361