This works examines the Late Formative Period site of Jatanca (Je-1023) located on the desert north coast of the Jequetepeque Valley, Peru. Je-1023 is a complex site made up of numerous free-standing compounds that are organized around several predictably located, replicated interior complexes that were important in determining the overall shape and interior organization of the site. While this work relies on a number of data sets traditionally used by archaeologists as a means of examining prehistoric cultures such as ceramics, ethnobotanical analysis, and the surrounding relic landscape, architectural analysis is the primary means by which Je-1023 is examined. This work elucidates a number of archaeological issues at a variety of scales of consideration. From the level of the compound up to the entire North Coast, sociopolitical organization, the interface between behavior and architectural design, interior access patterns and social ordering, labor organization, and the impact of social memory in architectural design are all considered by this work.

Why did Tiwanaku emerge and not other Late Formative Politic Center?An attempt is made to answer the question "why Tiwanaku?" Between 300 and 500 A.D., the site of Tiwanaku assumed a dominant role in the Titicaca Basin social landscape. In this paper, I consider three possible explanations for this event: 1) conquest, 2) interzonal exchange, and 3) raised field agriculture. These scenarios are considered in light of settlement data recently collected by the author. / Se intenta formular una respuesta al problema de por qué surgió Tiwanaku. Entre 300 y 500 d.C., el sitio de Tiwanaku asumió un papel dominante dentro del paisaje social de la cuenca del Titicaca. La presente nota considera tres posibles explicaciones para el evento: 1) conquista, 2) intercambio interzonal, y 3) agricultura en campos elevados. Estas posibilidades se consideran en relación a datos de asentamientos arqueológicos que el autor ha recolectado de manera reciente.

This contribution presents and discusses the preliminary results of the first field season of archaeological investigations at the site of Caylán, localized in the lower portion of the Nepeña Valley. Between June and August of 2009, mapping and excavation operations were carried out as part of the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Caylán (PIAC). This article revises previous research realized at Caylán with the objective of underscoring the importance and complexity of the prehispanic settlement. We develop the working hypotheses, methodology and fieldwork of this first season. The preliminary analysis of spatial, architectural, and ceramic data suggests that Caylán represented the center of a new tradition that emerged in the lower Nepeña during the Late and Final Formative (800-200 BC). / Esta contribución presenta y discute los resultados preliminares de la primera temporada de investigaciones arqueológicas en el sitio de Caylán, localizado en la parte baja del valle de Nepeña, costa del departamento de Áncash. Entre junio y agosto de 2009 se realizaron trabajos de levantamiento y excavación en el marco del Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Caylán (PIAC). Este artículo revisa los estudios anteriores con el objetivo de subrayar la importancia y complejidad de este asentamiento prehispánico; se exponen las hipótesis de investigación, la metodología empleada y los trabajos de campo de esta primera temporada. De manera preliminar, se analizan los datos espaciales, arquitectónicos y cerámicos para sustentar la idea de que Caylán representa el centro de una nueva tradición que surgió en el valle bajo de Nepeña durante los periodos Formativo Tardío y Final (800-200 a.C.).