Definition: The Wari or Huari Empire was a sophisticated civilization established in the central Andes of Peru during the Middle Horizon (between about AD 750 and 1000). Wari structures were typically large rectangular enclosures, laid out in a strict grid pattern of squares or patios. The largest capital was Pikillaqta; a second center was Jincamocco. Archaeologists most associated with the Wari include Wendell Bennett, Max Uhle, William H. Isbell, Gordon F. McEwan and Katharina Schreiber.
Brief Bibliography
Conklin, Beth 1997 Consuming images: Representations of cannibalism on the Amazonian frontier. Anthropological Quarterly 70(2):68-78.
Finucane, Brian, Patricia M. Agurto, and William H. Isbell 2006 Human and animal diet at Conchopata, Peru: stable isotope evidence for maize agriculture and animal management practices during the Middle Horizon. Journal of Archaeological Science 33:1766-1776.
Glowacki, Mary 2005 Food of the Gods or mere mortals? Hallucinogenic Spondylus and its interpretive implications for early Andean society. Antiquity 79(304):257-268.
Isbell, William H. and Katharina J. Schreiber 1978 Was Huari a state? American Antiquity 43(3):372-389.
Jennings, Justin 2006 Core, peripheries, and regional realities in Middle Horizon Peru. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 25346–370.
Jennings, Justin and Nathan Craig 2001 Politywide Analysis and Imperial Political Economy: The Relationship between Valley Political Complexity and Administrative Centers in the Wari Empire of the Central Andes. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 20(4):479-502.
McEwan, Gordon F. 1998 The function of niched halls in Wari architecture. Latin American Antiquity 9(1):68-86.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
Alternate Spellings: Huari
Examples: Viracochapampa, Jincamocco, Pikillaqta, Pachacamac, Pacheco, all in Peru.
