The Ritual Boundaries of Las Varas

A presentation and discussion of Howard Tsai's dissertation chapter.

Dissertation Summary: Did a group of highlanders leave the mountains of northern Peru 1000 years ago to settle closer to the coast? To answer this and other questions about ethnicity and highland-lowland interaction, Howard Tsai directed the excavation of Las Varas. There he found houses, pottery, and graves similar to those from the highlands. Sites around Las Varas, by contrast, have artifacts similar to those on the coast. In his recent dissertation defense, Howard Tsai presented the results of his excavations, which showed how migrants settled in Las Varas and how they formed ties to their new neighbors. To obtain a pre-circulated copy of the chapter, please email Howard at: hitsai@umich.edu.