Arqueología histórica en las «huacas» de la ciudad de Lima: ampliando la narrativa

Abstract

Connecting past and present: the historical anthropology of the small-scaled minning production in porco, bolivia Who studies and creates the narratives that surround the city of Lima’s archaeological sites, known locally as huacas? Traditionally, this has been the responsibility of professional archaeologists, who in their research and conservation efforts, as well as in their efforts to convert sites into open-air museums, tend to focus almost exclusively on the prehispanic period, when these sites were initially designed, built, used, and transformed. This approach marginalizes and even renders invisible the role these huacas had during the Colonial and Republican periods. This particular narrative is problematic, since it subjectively “freezes” sites into limited time frames, and implies that the value and significance of sitez lies solely in a very specific past. Following this narrative, huacas become static entities, instead of dynamic spaces that change over time, in which all historical periods contributed significantly to their current state. Inspired by the research, conservation, and conversion of Huaca Huantinamarca (in Lima’s San Miguel district) into a public space and open-air museum, this paper proposes to go beyond the traditional narrative and include all historical periods, including those periods perceived as “despised history”, in order to construct a narrative that is more comprehensive, authentic, and inclusive.