As early as 13,000 years ago, human populations settled a vast and diverse South American continent. From the Amazon rainforest to the high-altitude peaks of the Andean mountains to the Pacific desert coast, ancient societies developed complex lifeways and social organizations. This course introduces students to the archaeology of South America beginning with the very first Ice Age hunter-gatherers who adapted to extreme ecological and environmental settings. We will trace how the domestication of key plants (like potato, cacao, and chili peppers) and camelids (i.e., llamas and alpacas) relate to the emergence of early village life and perhaps even economic inequality. We¿ll explore widespread religious cults of the first Andean temple centers, ancient mummification practices, and the political rise of empires such as the Inka. Throughout the course, students will examine key archaeological findings and hotly debated sites that create a throughline to the role of archaeology, heritage, and tourism in the modern politics of nation states. Keywords: Latin America, Andes, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, indigenous studies, anthropology, history, ethnohistory, ethnography, museum studies, material culture, fieldwork, economics, ideology, colonialism, imperialism. |