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10 Conclusion:฀ The฀Functions฀of฀Pikillacta gordon฀f.฀mcewan The preceding chapters have described the present state of knowledge concerning the Pikillacta site and its function. Despite intensive investigation carried out over many years, this site in many ways remains an enigma. Just what were the Wari doing at Pikillacta and how did this site’s function articulate with the imperial state structure? The excavations and architectural studies have provided many clues but no definitive answers. The curious lack of artifacts in context, which normally comprise the basic data for archaeological interpretation, prevents me from taking a standard interpretive approach. We have learned a great deal about Pikillacta but most of our data is tangential to the major questions this site poses. Having acknowledged the limitations of the data base, I attempt here to assemble a basic interpretation of the site from the factual data and analogy with other Wari studies. My interpretation is admittedly speculative and not necessarily the only one possible, but we have to start somewhere. The basic questions of who built Pikillacta, when it was built, the sequence of construction, and how much it cost can be pretty accurately answered. These answers don’t rely so much on opinion as on observable facts. It is clear that Pikillacta was built at the command of the Wari state. It stylistically matches other examples of Wari architecture from both the provinces and the Wari heartland of Ayacucho. The overwhelming majority of the artifacts recovered from Pikillacta are stylistically Wari. All of the radiocarbon dates collected at the site encompass the Middle Horizon. These dates indicate that initial construction began around A.D. 600 and that a second and possibly third construction phase was underway about A.D. 800– 850. At the extreme range of these dates Pikillacta may have been occupied from A.D. 550 to A.D. 1100. The sequence of construction, based on degree of completeness and wall bonding, is undoubtedly Sectors 2, 1, 4, and finally 3. It is also clear that the majority of the site was never finished or used, although Sector 2 was in use for several centuries as demonstrated by radiocarbon dating. Another 148 | mcewan very important consideration that we must take into account when attempting to understand the function of Pikillacta is that the chronological evidence indicates a very long period of occupation . The radiocarbon dates indicate that the Wari occupation endured for four to five centuries (probably from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1100). The relative ceramic dates are more problematic in that it is clear that a revision of the stylistic chronology of Wari ceramics is needed. In the excavations at Pikillacta, as well as other reported instances such as the Cerro Baúl site (Williams 2001), the ceramic chronologies and in particular the Ocros style are inconsistent with the radiocarbon dating. Nevertheless, additional radiocarbon dates from the Wari occupation of the site of Chokepukio located adjacent to Pikillacta conform with the occupation chronology ranging from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1100, indicating that the radiocarbon chronology is sound (McEwan et al., 1995, 2002). It is inconceivable that there was not significant cultural evolution within the Wari state during such a long period. Consequently, the function of Pikillacta surely evolved and changed over time. Evidence from Pikillacta indicates that the construction and use of Sector 2 occurred signi ficantly earlier than in the other sectors. This suggests that the construction of Sectors 1, 3, and 4 was a response to evolutionary change within the Wari state. It is important to remember that we have not captured a snapshot of Pikillacta at a discrete moment in time. Instead we have a generalized view over a very long period of time. The cost of constructing Pikillacta can only be calculated in terms of man-days since we have little understanding of the Wari economy. Suffice to say that it was a very expensive undertaking, with the completed parts requiring nearly six million man-days. The spectacular canal and aqueduct system that had to be put into place before construction could even begin is in itself an engineering marvel and monumental investment . The fact that numerous other Wari centers were under construction in diverse parts of Peru at approximately the same time is a clear indication of the enormous power and wealth commanded by the empire. Not only was the empire capable of maintaining its expansion with the large bureaucracy and field armies necessary for this...

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