Beads during the period of spanish colonialism in the peruvian andes

Abstract

In this study, I examine pre-Hispanic and European beads from a variety of early Spanish colonial archaeological sites throughout the Peruvian Andes. I situate these materials and interactions within the history of Andean and European social networks. I demonstrate that the presence of European beads at specific archaeological sites —or contexts within sites— does not indicate that they directly belonged to European people, but were often incorporated into traditional Andean practices. Moreover, by engaging with theories of value and colonial hybridity, I argue that pre-Hispanic Spondylus shell and European glass beads were similarly valued due to the action invested in their acquisition from distant and unique places of origin. I further illustrate how the contemporaneous use of European and pre-Hispanic beads in forms of exchange, dress, and burial practices contributed to Andean and European beliefs and practices acquiring distinct meanings. These activities, with their changing significances, influenced the formation of new cultural identities and shaped Andean and European social values.