Spatial network analysis of a terminal prehispanic and early colonial settlement in highland Peru

This study uses GIS-based spatial network analysis (SNA) to simulate patterns of foot traffic and analyze the manipulation of the built environment of a small Inka imperial outpost that became an early Franciscan doctrina (doctrinal settlement) in the Andean highlands of southern Peru. Excavations show evidence for growth and remodeling of the site's public and domestic spaces over its short use life as a doctrina, pointing to an increasingly orthodox regime of indoctrination. The results of SNA-based walking simulations show specifically how movement through the site was rerouted to isolate the old Inka ceremonial core, producing new rhythms of interaction and directing public processionals to the colonial plaza and chapel of the doctrina. The complementarity of SNA with other established forms of access analysis and its broader utility for archaeological research design, sampling strategies, hypothesis testing, and interpretation are discussed.

► Spatial network analysis simulates movement through Inka- and colonial-era Andean village.
► Traffic patterns were altered as the site was converted from an Inka outpost to a Franciscan mission.
► Traffic was rerouted away from older Inka ceremonial core and toward colonial plaza and chapel.
► Broader applicability of Spatial network analysis to all phases of research is discussed.