A Theory of Andean Geoglyphs

Geoglyphs are found throughout the premodern world. They represent some of the most undertheorized but important archaeological phenomena in our discipline. Decades of systematic work in the Andes has allowed us to model the development of geoglyphs through time. Geoglyphs were preceded by petroglyphs that demarcated travel routes. Isolated sets of figural geoglyphs on hillsides emerged alongside petroglyph clusters before the Early Horizon and functioned to mark places of congregation. During the late Early Horizon, a scalar transformation took place along the Peruvian coast. Clusters of linear geoglyphs with a variety of structures emerged on the desert pampas. These geoglyphs are composed of multiple figural and geometric shapes. We propose that these complexes were constructed by complex polities as ritualized, theatrical landscapes designed to attract people for periodic feasts and fairs. Linear geoglyph complexes became an essential component of the competitive feasting strategies embedded in the political economy of these early, complex societies.