Sighting theapu: a GIS analysis of Wari imperialism and the worship of mountain peaks

Andean scholars have long debated the nature of the relationship between two Middle Horizon (ca. A. D. 750-1000) Andean states; many assumed Tiwanaku dominated Wari and preceded Wari in time. Recent research at the Wari administrative center of Cerro Baúl in the only known region occupied by both states (the Moquegua Valley of southern Peru) indicates that Tiwanaku may not predate Wari in Moquegua and that, contrary to previous assertions, both states occupied the valley for the last three centuries of the Middle Horizon. In support of this position, I review recent excavations at Cerro Baúl. Then I present eight new 14C dates and summarize the evidence for two major construction episodes at Cerro Baúl. I interpret the local Wari construction chronology based on the 12 14C dates now available from excavation contexts and I suggest that the new data, in comparison with 24 published 14C dates from other Wari centers, support a later date for Middle Horizon 1B Wari expansion than previously postulated.

Before the Inca reigned, two empires held sway over the central Andes from anno Domini 600 to 1000: the Wari empire to the north ruled much of Peru, and Tiwanaku to the south reigned in Bolivia. Face-to-face contact came when both colonized the Moquegua Valley sierra in southern Peru. The state-sponsored Wari incursion, described here, entailed large-scale agrarian reclamation to sustain the occupation of two hills and the adjacent high mesa of Cerro Baúl. Monumental buildings were erected atop the mesa to serve an embassy-like delegation of nobles and attendant personnel that endured for centuries. Final evacuation of the Baúl enclave was accompanied by elaborate ceremonies with brewing, drinking, feasting, vessel smashing, and building burning.

During the Middle Horizon (A.D. 540–900) the Wari of the central highlands Ayacucho region expanded their control into many parts of the Andes. While different motives have been cited for Wari state expansion, we suggest that a severe and prolonged drought during the sixth century may have played a significant role. We posit that the Wari responded to this environmental crisis not only by seeking practical solutions, such as securing productive land outside the heartland, but also by implementing religious practices intended to cosmologically restore fertility to drought-stricken areas and validate acquisition of arable land in foreign territories. Using a model of Inka ideology developed by Peter Gose, we propose that a strong religious complex involving ancestor worship, huacas, and the cosmological control of water led the Wari to seek out and control locations where water could be drawn from supernatural sources. The presence of large bodies of water near major Wari administrative sites as well as other natural phenomena, particularly certain mountains, rock formations, and large stones, and site offerings of Spondylus, copper, and stone figurines support this model. A sacred Wari landscape is thus seen as complementary to the established political landscape and providing a supernatural justification. Durante el Horizonte Medio (540–900 d.C.) los Wari del altiplano central en la región de Ayacucho llegaron a controlar una gran parte de los Andes. Aunque se han ofrecido muchas explicaciones sobre este fenómeno, favorecemos la teoría de que este movimiento fue impulsado por una sequía terrible de larga duración durante el siglo sexto. Es probable que los Wari no solamente hayan buscado soluciones practicas como la conquista de territorio extranjero, pero también implementaron prácticas religiosas para restituir cosmológicamente la fertilidad de sus tierras y de esta manera validar su invasión. Basado en el modelo de ideología Inka propuesto por Peter Gose, teorizamos que los Wari fueron motivados por sus practicas religiosas tales la veneración de los antepasados y huacas. Esto les impulsó buscar y controlar cosmológicamente el agua. La presencia de grandes cuerpos de agua, montañas, formaciones rocosas, y ofrendas de Spondylus, cobre, y figurinas de piedra cerca de la sede de centros administrativos Wari soportan nuestra teoría. Es decir, que el panorama sagrado corresponde al panorama político y se complementan el uno al otro, lo cual justifica la existencia de este ultimo.