“This book contributes usefully to local culture history by complicating coast–highland dichotomies and situating the Coastal Cajamarca style in the chaupiyunga. More broadly, it offers an example of an archaeology-driven approach to ethnicity that moves beyond identifying ethnic affiliation based on material patterns. By framing ethnic interactions in terms of game theory, Tsai emphasizes the role of strategic action within ritual structures in shaping contingent relationships of competition, exchange, and alliance among coast, chaupiyunga, and highland communities. This ultimately offers an interesting framework for thinking about ethnicity and interregional interaction in the Andes.”
—Latin American Antiquity
“Archaeologists and anthropologists have been interested in ethnicity for many years. Las Varas is a welcome addition to this literature, offering a unique study of relationships between different ethnic groups in the chaupiyunga zone.”
—Christina Conlee, author of Beyond the Nasca Lines: Ancient Life at La Tiza in the Peruvian Desert— -
"In sampling the rather large pre-Incan settlement, the author found what was interpreted as an eastern and western entrance. The occupation near the western entrance was dominated by the Coastal Cajamarca style and coastal artifacts, strongly suggesting that this style was not coastal in origin but rather derived from the chaupiyunga zone. The presumed entrance on the eastern side demonstrated more highland relationships, particularly in cyst tombs, posing interesting problems of ethnicity. The arguments and evidence will be of much interest to archaeologists researching northern Peru. The text is supported by 48 maps and figures and an extensive bibliography and index. Recommended."
—CHOICE— -