Karla Saracay Humanities and Social Science
Pre-Inca Household Archaeology in the Mantaro Valley
I will be comparing and contrasting data from across several different households that were excavated during the Upper Mantaro Archaeological Research Project (UMARP) in Jauja, Peru. My area of focus will be Pre- Inca households from the Umpamalca region. I will be comparing and contrasting findings from the inside area of the households against the patio areas of the households. Then, I would like to compare and contrast spatial distribution of artifacts and densities found across households in the area. This will give a clearer picture of what the activity areas in the household were and how they compare to other households that were excavated in the same area. My research questions are: How does artifact/ecofact distribution differ across households, and how does that distribution inform us about the daily operations of the study area? These findings will then be compared to findings in households from other nearby regions where data was collected.
Message To Sponsor
SURF helped me figure out how I work best and what realistic goals for research look like. There is a lot of patience involved in a research project because not everything always goes as smoothly as planned and I definitely learned that this summer. Having this research experience helped me realize that I want to continue doing research. As a first-generation student I did not imagine I would be doing my own self-directed research as an undergraduate. The support from the SURF staff and my mentor throughout the summer helped me gain confidence in my research abilities. I will always carry the lessons from this summer with me. Thank you so much for funding my SURF 2020 project!