Shellfish, water, and entanglements: Inter-community interaction and exchange in the Huanangue Valley, Peru

Though there is a wide and diverse body of literature on interaction theory in the social sciences, it is only recently that the economic, political, and cultural implications of interaction have been studied in ancient Andean societies. This paper explores the outcomes of interaction between Chancay settlers and local chaupiyunginos in the Huanangue Valley, Peru, during the Late Intermediate Period (1100-1470 CE). Drawing from entanglement theory-which explores the complex types of relationships that develop between groups when exotic goods are inserted into local systems of value (Dietler, 1998, 2010; Hodder, 2012)-I argue that intergroup exchange and resource sharing could draw small scale groups living on the western slopes of the Andes into webs of interdependency. Using a combination of ethnohistoric and archaeological data, I argue that Chancay colonists became entangled with local chaupiyunginos due to the Chancay's need for irrigation water and the chaupiyungino's desire for marine goods. Furthermore, though many cases of entanglement lead to one group being subjugated by the other, the Chancay's economic power and the chaupiyungino's tactical power may have prevented this from happening.