Archeological Discoveries
In the early 1980s, international archeologists funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation excavated various sites in the Mantaro Valley where I now live to piece together the Central Andean past.
What was the Huanca culture like?
Along with ethnographic research, the bits and pieces unearthed from known Huanca communities in the area tell us the stories of Huanca families.
- Finding pieces of deep serving basins in a household zone marked an elite family. They used the basins for hosting Andean ceremonial feasts.
- Elite patios had more deer, maize and coca remains. They were able to eat more maize even though it wasn’t a very productive crop at the time and chew on coca even though it wasn’t produced locally.
- Bits of hoes, sickle blades and digging sticks were distributed throughout each household zone, signifying the importance of agriculture as a source of economy. Fewer farming tools were found in elite households. They may have received payments instead.
- Spindles found in each household suggest that families made their own clothes.
- Manufacturing remains found in certain Huanca communities suggest that these communities specialized in the production of certain goods, such as ceramics, and exchanged the commodity with the locals.
- When the Incas pacified the area, the economy and lifestyle remained relatively unchanged although commoners ate better and survived longer based on food remains and burial data.
What would historians say about you based on your household?
Tags: agriculture huancayo, archaeology peru, archeology in peru, huanca culture, huanca houses, mantaro valley archeology
R A Ackerman PhD EA
They would say- good thing they learned curse words, when they were young, because this place is ……..confusing!
Six floors, five bedrooms, three offices, a dozen computers, art work up the ying yang, a 400 sq ft kitchen, living room and dining room reversed (see the kitchen- lots of dinner guests), way too many tvs, and VCRs (not DVDs). Electronic controls and a record player!
Maybe they will think the house had different levels for different eras!
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Samantha Bangayan
HAHA! =) That sounds confusing indeed! I had to slow down as I read your description. Loved learning more about you, Roy! You should have included this in your list of 10 things about you when you won the Kreativ Blogger Award! =)
I love the idea of having different floors for different eras. =)
Hajra
They would probably say "The shrink did have psychological problems". I don't have a house of my own as yet, but my room is always properly organized…sometimes too much. Too many books, too less clothes, way too many shoes, hardly any jewelry…they might have confusions over why the girl doesn't have jewelry or make up…! But everything is just always at the right place!
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! =) I don't think your description would lead to a conclusion of "psychological problems" at all! =P I think we have a lot in common, especially in terms of jewelry and makeup, and we would have more in common if I could actually buy books here! =)
gustavo
They would say: What is this guy doing so far from everything, and what is all this shrimp about?
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Samantha Bangayan
HAHA! =) Gustavo, I'm so imagining shrimp all over the place. Don't forget the leche de tigre. =)
And you know, I think they would say the same about me. "What is this Canadian doing so far away from everything?" Love it! =)
alonzo
These people watched a lot of television.
Samantha Bangayan
Short and sweet, Alonzo! =) Haha! This comment made me laugh out loud. I'm imagining multiple televisions turned on at the same time, TV guide and tons of remote controls along with other TV-related gadgets. =)
Jeanine Byers Hoag
Great question!! Historians would know I did not live alone. They'd know I was part of a family with at least one child. They'd know we loved to read and suspect we liked TV a lot, too. They might catch on to my love of clothes :).
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! I thought about your love of clothes first and foremost, Jeanine! =) I'm imagining an uber busy household! =)
Thanks so much for appreciating the question I posed, by the way! Loved your thoughtful response. =)
Steve Nichoals
I think that they would say, "Those are a lot of books, CD's and DVD's! How did they ever have time to use them?"
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! =) How did you ever have the time to use them all? =) And have you? I imagine you've got that key skill of picking up information really quickly like many doctoral students I know! =)
Vinny T.
They'd say "this guy was really interesting" since they'd find hundreds of books on a wide variety of subjects along with dozens of artifacts from Peru, and an interesting leisure room with a sauna, a large model car collection and dozens of awards and trophies.
Samantha Bangayan
You *are* an interesting guy, indeed, Vinny! And now you're even more interesting to me as I imagine all the varied books and Peruvian artifacts in your home. In my imagination, the alpaca rug and Tumi woodcarving are displayed prominently! =)
Wish I had a sauna here. =P
Thanks so much for stopping by to comment, Vinny! =)
Leanne Chesser
Archaeological discoveries are fascinating and I love how you tied it in to your own home and what it says about you. Mine says I'm very organized, a lover of learning, and technologically savvy as well :). It shows that I have kids and a grandson, that I love simplicity and harmony and that I appreciate nature.
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Samantha Bangayan
Sounds like we're household sisters, Leanne! =) Simplicity is a big deal for me as well. I've been able to live more simply here in the Andes and I'm impressed with how you can implement simplicity into your life there too!
Thanks for appreciating the idea for this post and for taking the time to share about your household, Leanne. =)
Abe Palmer
It wouldn't take long for anyone to realize we love our kids. Pictures everywhere from their childhood on into collage. they would know that our whole family worked for Safeway because of our uniforms and name tags found in our bedrooms. They would learn that I loved to build because of all the handcrafted furniture and play house in the yard. Evidance of our cat is clear by the claw marks on the old couch.
Just think, what we are today will be the archaeology of tomorrow. Great post Samantha!!!!
Samantha Bangayan
Omigosh! I'm now reminiscing about my Safeway days. =) I used to do the black-and-white uniform and was there for the transition to the green shirts too! I also had three different versions of my name tag with stickers of snowmen and hearts. =)
Wow! Your handcrafted furniture would be a hit here in Huancayo, Abe! Can't wait for you to get here!
And thanks for appreciating this post. =) Wasn't sure what the reception would be like, but it seems like tons of people have shared so far! Thanks so much for sharing about *your* household too, Abe. =) Always love learning more about you.
Tosin@Home-Based Business Coach
Hey Samantha,
That is so interesting! What will they say abut me and my household? Well, we love gardening, keep the house clean, a very friendly dog.
Is it not so interesting that years after we are gone, things about what we do and participate in can still be uncovered? Says much about how we should live.
Samantha Bangayan
Wow! I'm jealous, Tosin! I have always imagined myself gardening, but consider it a far-fetched dream. =P Maybe if it was a potato farm — they're all the rage in the Central Andes. =)
So true! I was amazed at how much I could learn about the Huancas just from an archeological study of the area. Thinking about that made me more conscious about the kind of "footprint" I leave as well. =)
Thanks so much for appreciating this post, Tosin! =)
Sherry Zander
Well, you made me reflect on that one. I would have to say that from the contents of our home, historians will find that we we were the average Midwest family — devout and family-oriented, but avid fans of the technology of the day. The collected and categorized waste products ready for recycling will indicate we were dedicated to preserving the planet. The age and mileage on our cars will show we didn't drive much — attempts at preserving the earth's resources and our finances (not sure they'll know that, though). Our vast library will indicate we were avid readers and collectors of quality literature. Finally, our remains will reveal we were healthy eaters, along with our dog, Huey.
Oh, and if they happen to find my blog in the archives of humanity, they'll find that I was a huge fan of Samantha Bangayan — š
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Samantha Bangayan
I didn't know you were an environmentalist, Sherry! =) I love how you analyzed your own way of living through your comment. I'm imagining cozying up to a book in your library — I've always wanted a library of my own like the one in "Beauty and the Beast." =)
HAHA! I almost missed that last comment, Sherry. =P Aw you're the best! I'm a huge fan of you too! =)
Marty
I've always been intrigued by archaeology. I find my imagination goes into high gear. There is almost a desire to witness that history first hand.
Great article
Thanks.
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Samantha Bangayan
I know what you mean, Marty! I didn't realize how many Huanca ruins were in the area until I read this book. The largest one consists of 17 stone buildings that they used as warehouses in those times. The Incas constructed them when they conquered the place because the Huancas used to store individually in their homes.
Just sending you more tidbits for your imagination! Thanks so much for stopping by, Marty! =)
jeannettekoczela
Interesting article, Samantha, as archeology is one of my biggest interests. It's amazing how much they can piece together about the past from sherds and other finds you mentioned. I think if they found my household remains, they would think I was neat-nick who was addicted to books!
-Jeannette
My recent post The Science of Getting Rich-Quote 26a
Samantha Bangayan
I knew this post would touch you, Jeannette! When we talked on Skype and you mentioned your love of archeology, I was so excited to get this post out! =)
You would love this book I have on Huanca culture. I couldn't believe how much they could pick up on a society that inhabited the valley over 600 years ago! =)
Now I understand your secret to all that knowledge in your head! Must be at least partly due to your book addiction. =)
Thanks so much for commenting, Jeannette! I love that we have a mutual interest. =)
GigLogo
Hi Samantha, I love learning about cultures and people. This is the first time I hear about the Huanca society of Peru, muchas gracias por la Información (Spanglish anyone?). I love the pictures!
To answer your questions, historians of the future would say "what an artistic family" about my household only because my children love to paint on the walls. If the layers of paint I used to cover over the "wall art" are removed they will find all kinds of pictures.
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Samantha Bangayan
Karla, muchísimas gracias por visitar a mi blog y por tu Spanglish! =) I know what you mean — I hadn't heard of the Huanca culture until I arrived here in Huancayo!
Wow! I loved imagining your children's art and the photos beneath them. The idea behind the layers is art in itself. =)
Thanks so much for sharing a bit of yourself, Karla! =) So glad we're connected!
Steven Suchar
Hi Samantha!
Thanks for inviting me to your Blog…it's so nice seeing you here. š
You know, I like to live as simple as possible. I think I would've fit
right in with the Huanca's…as long as they had hi-speed Internet
service available. lol.
Have a highly inspired day…your tribal friend Steven Suchar
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! With the high speed Internet down, I could probably live with the Huancas myself. Although now that I think about it more, I'd really miss strawberry bubbletea. =P Let's bring bubbletea to the past with us too. =)
Thanks so much for making me smile and for stopping by, Steve! =)
Oliver Tausend
Hi Samantha,
interesting post with an even more interesting question at the end: What would historians say about our household centuries later ? Messies ? A whole bunch unnecessary stuff ? Tons of unread books ? Probably we should ask ourselves this question and then weed out !
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Take care
Oliver
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Samantha Bangayan
That's funny that you mention "a whole bunch of unnecessary stuff," Oliver. =) We have become more materialistic than the past, haven't we? =) Great idea to "weed out"! That's a motivating way to put it!
Thanks for your sharp comments, Oliver! =) Take care too and talk soon!
Adrienne
What an interesting post Samantha… My place will be long gone by the time any historians venture upon it. But if someone were to walk into it shortly after I'm gone they would definitely be able to tell that I live alone with my small dog. Like you, I'm very organized so everything has it's place. I also love to read, not a big movie watcher, love music and definitely into technology with my one computer. Yep, small but cozy surroundings.
Thanks Samantha, enjoyed how you tied that all together and I love reading about your area of the Universe.
Adrienne
My recent post April Results- Another Month Behind Me
Samantha Bangayan
I loved reading about all that we have in common, Adrienne. =) "Small but cozy" is a great way to put it! I'm just missing a small dog to accompany my kitten!
Thanks so much for sharing more about yourself with me, Adrienne! I love getting to know you better. Thanks also for appreciating this post. =) Hug!
Diana Simon
Hi Samantha, I had to think about this one and the first thing that came up was that we have tons of books in our home so it would say that we value books. They would also find it interesting that our house is very eclectic with wooden asian furniture while our kitchen and bathroom is with a unique type of Italian ceramics. It would definitely cause they some confusion LOL!
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Samantha Bangayan
Ooh! I love the image of Asian and Italian designs meshed in one home. =) Wish I could send you some Peruvian artifacts to add to the cultural mix!
I always imagined you with tons of book too because I know how much you love learning! =)
Thanks so much for sharing about your household, Diana! =)
Dr. Bob Clarke
Hey Samantha,
I love stories of archaeological findings.. I find the whole field really fascinating, how they can take very small findings and extrapolate their findings on a societal level.
It sounds like you live in an amazing place with lots of history.
If someone were to find ruins from our house thousands of years from now, they would probably say that we were quite techy (based on the huge number of gadgets in our house) and that we were scholars based on our library.
Great post, Samantha! By the looks of the other comments, others have found it equally entertaining!
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Samantha Bangayan
Me too, Bob! In fact, I hadn't thought about how amazing archeology was or how much history there was in the area until I read this book about the Mantaro Valley. =)
Haha! I can totally identify about the gadgets. In Vancouver, I had even more doohickeys lying around. =)
Thanks so much for your input, Bob! =)
Jym Tarrant
LOL! Great question Samantha!
I wonder shat historians would say about my household? Probably that my daughter has too many toys, and they dominate the whole house!
So interesting to consider what can be learned from the things we find. This kind of detective work really captivated my interest in history and archaeology when I first learned about it in school. I'm sure that Peru must be exceedingly rich in remains from past cultures – it's amazing to learn of the technologies and skills of people we all too easily dismiss as having being backward and undeveloped.
Thanks for sharing!
All the best,
Jym
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! Wow! I can just imagine your home and the historians saying that children took over households in our generation. =) Just kidding!
It's so true, Jym. I didn't even realize how much we could learn about the past just from the things we find or how much we can learn about others from their rooms or houses. =)
Thanks so much for stopping by, Jym! =) I *really* appreciate it, especially as I continue to try to figure out how to comment on your blog!
gjsuap
I'm not sure if historians will be interested in digg in my home… There are millions of houses here, and mine is not particularly interesting! jajaja.
But I think they will be surprized by all the puzzles and pictures in the home, and very different (a lot of them, souvenirs of travels by myself, friends and family): Egypt, Jerusalem, Colombia, Chile, Inglaterra; original oleum paintings, pressed ones, printed, acuarelas; ceramics, metal, mud; photographs, books and a lot of CD and DVD… MMMmmm… a lot of culture in a small space!
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! I know what you mean, Gonzalo, but I think you're so wrong! The Huanca households they studied here were also very typical houses. Any kind of house from "the past" is considered valuable to history! =)
Wow! You painted such a beautifully interesting picture of your home! =) I loved learning that you're travellers and value art. I had no idea about this side of you. No wonder you can cover so many topics in your blog posts! =)
Thanks so much for sharing about you and your family, Gonzalo! =)
Valerie Owens
Very cool incorporation of archeology and blogging. I love it! Thanks providing a glimpse into your life š I think in my case, archeologists would think a child ran the family as evidenced by the abundance of toys and kids stuff everywhere! LOL
Samantha Bangayan
Haha! I'm just imagining the archeologists and historians writing books about how it was a generation run by children. =) It sounds like you live in a lively household! You've got me missing home a little bit. My Vancouver home is duber busy because we always have relatives over to visit or even live.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Val! Please, please do link your blog next time to remind me to visit you back! =) Hugs!
Yen
Hello, Samantha ,
Never thought about it. Very interesting topic. I guess the historians would say " Wow this family loved electronic products. Everything in electronic. Where were the books?! "
I think in the few years,we might have more electronic things but less books instead. š
Stay in touch,
Yen
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! It's funny how it can be like that these days, Yen! There's so much information we can already access online. =) It could continue to be a grand shift in society. =)
Thanks so much for commenting, Yen, and talk soon! =)
@AllieRambles
They would say, "What a slob!" Just kidding. Actually, much of my history and family history on on my computer so they might miss out if they cannot extract that info.
As for my home. They would see your regular, old family. One husband, one wife, one son, one daughter, and one dog. They would think we loved TV because my husband always needs the biggest and best one but actually, I prefer to keep the TV off.
They would think we like outdoors with bikes, tents, camping equipment, outdoor clothing and the MANY coolers my man must have. (It's a joke in our family.)
I hope they don't believe we only eat canned and boxed goods because I stock up for emergencies.
Overall, they would see a family that at times wanted better things but overall lived a normal American life with family dinners, vacations and love all the time. This would be evident in all the photographs.
~Allie
My recent post Welcome to Ramblings of a WAHM Blog
Samantha Bangayan
Ooh! You bring up a really good point, Allie! Historians will learn so much from our digital records and our digital tattoo on the Internet as well, especially for us active in the blogging communities and forums! =)
Haha! I absolutely loved what you said about your TV. I have an uncle who seems to stock up on the latest and greatest technology just for it to look beautiful in his home. =)
And I can totally identify about stocking up! =)
What a thorough description, Allie! Thanks for relating. =) I loved imagining your "regular, old family." Though you may not think so during the day-to-day, it sounds warm and fuzzy from the outside. =)
neanster77
They would say I loved my dog too much, that I was learned from the abundance of books everywhere, and that the place was artistic from all of the drawings, paintings, music, instruments, films and photos all over the place.
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Samantha Bangayan
How cool! =) Sounds like a warm and creative household. I wish I had more artistic things around. =P Right now, we only have my partner's drawings, poems and my brother's comics. =P
Thanks so much for sharing about yourself too, Janine! =)
Todd
I've always wondered what life would have been like back then. I know I probably would enjoy being a hunter/gatherer, but I can't imagine having to make my own clothing.
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Samantha Bangayan
Haha! That's an interesting take! I hadn't even imagined myself back in the Huanca days here. Maybe you wouldn't have had to make your own clothes at all — I imagine the task would have been left to the women in the community! =)
I'm now imagining what it would be like when the Incas arrived and took over. It must have been chaos!
Todd, thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog and comment. =) Can't wait to read this latest blog post you have out! =)
Ian Belanger
Hi Samantha,
What would historians say about my residence? Great question.
I guess they would say that I am tech savvy, due to all of the computers and such. They would also say that I like to work with my hands, because of all of the woodworking equipment I have and that I was an outdoors-man, because of the clothes I have.
Thanks for sharing Samantha and have a great day!
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Samantha Bangayan
Wow! Your profile picture makes so much sense now! I thought I saw nature behind you and some stylish flannel. =)
Loved getting to know you better through reading about your home, Ian! =)
Happy day to you too! =)
wedding favors
Archeologists have amazing and interesting jobs! Imagine that they do all the research and gather valuable facts so that people in other parts of the country will know how others live in that country or area. And if they were to check our house, they can really say that I live with my parents. :).
Samantha Bangayan
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment! =)
So true! I never realized what an amazing field archeology was until I read this latest report on Huanca history. I love how they interpret their findings to paint a picture of he past.
Ooh! Good one! There are definitely clear clues when there are mixed families living together in one home! =)
Wedding Favors, I really want to support your website too, but couldn't find a way to comment on your articles! Please let me know how we can keep in touch! =)
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[…] festivities started off with a fashion show in the main plaza, displaying and commemorating typical Huanca attire and regional costumes of the Andes. This was the typical Huanca attire before the Spanish […]