Sarah Kennedy

Preliminary abstract: This project examines the social dynamics of a highly hierarchical silver refining mill and labor camp in 17th century Peru. Previous scholarship on colonial silver mining has examined the industry through the lenses of labor, commercialization, and technology. This work has emphasized labor quotas, market development, and metallurgical innovations. However, the social and cultural implications of living and working in these isolated mining communities are not well understood. This study undertakes the excavation and analysis of material remains from Intapalluni Trapiche, a middle colonial period mining community located in the western Lake Titicaca Basin (Puno, Peru). Using a combination of spatial, faunal and botanical, and soil chemistry analyses, the project will examine daily, household level differences in social organization, power dynamics, and labor relations. Through a detailed analysis of everyday practice, this project will contribute to ongoing discussions surrounding the nature of colonial encounters, specifically addressing the relationship of indigenous agency and cultural persistence within the overarching power structures of the Spanish imperial project.