Mapping Motifs and Techniques: Tracing the Development and Transmission of Cupisnique-style Engraved Head Images

Abstract

Archaeologists have long identified the ceramics of the ancient Chancay, Zaña, Jequetepeque, and Chicama Valleys of Peru as being in the Cupisnique style. Many of these ceramics also exhibit variations of thinly engraved head motifs, which I have previously argued serve as emblems of a unified cultural identity in the region. The appearance and frequency of such post-fired engravings has not previously been specifically quantified or mapped to the specific locations where these objects were unearthed. Through a number of charts, this paper maps the origins of 62 engraved Cupisnique-style vessels, including 30 examples currently held in the collection of the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera, for which archaeological data is available, showing distinct regional differences even within the Cupisnique style and suggesting that it may be possible to trace more precisely the development and dissemination of post-firing engraved motifs, which are still little understood. Beyond just identifying a singular Cupisnique style, then, a more precise mapping of the available archaeological record allows us to trace local developments and transmissions even within a region previously defined only by a single cultural/stylistic identity. Indeed, differences in imagery between sites suggest noteworthy variations in social, economic, and symbolic aspects of each community.