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Archaeological Approaches To Ritual In The Andes: A Ceramic Analysis Of Ceremonial Space At The Formative Period Site Of Chiripa, Bolivia, Andrew P. Roddick

Andrew P Roddick

This study uses ceramic data to examine the function of two Middle Formative Period (800-200 BC) structures at the site of Chiripa, in the Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia. I investigate the activities that occurred in both domestic and ritual architecture. I also examine the nature of the Yaya-Mama Religious Tradition; a ritual tradition posited for the Lake Titicaca region and thought to be represented by the Chiripa architecture and associated artifact assemblages. The likelihood and nature of feasting and exchange at Chiripa during the Middle Formative Period are also investigated by classifying the ceramic data into both serving and non-serving …