Core, peripheries, and regional realities in Middle Horizon Peru

In this article, I argue that the basic structure of the core–periphery models of dependency and world system theories are so deeply embedded in archaeological interpretations of early states and empires that social scientists working inside, outside, and against these paradigms tend to frame their arguments, often implicitly, around a core–periphery model of radiating lines that connect peripheral zones to the core. I suggest that the dominance of this model significantly inhibits our ability to understand the social dynamics of outlying groups in some instances. Using a case study from the Wari state of the Pre-Columbian Andes, I demonstrate one example of a situation where a core–periphery model fails to capture the emergent properties of a regional system embedded within the cultural and economic milieu of the expanding Wari state. Without a more serious consideration of regional dynamics, archaeologists may misinterpret the past at all levels of inter-regional interactions involving state societies in the Andes and elsewhere.