the prehistory of the highland region was interpreted through a coastal filter. Tello had tried to turn the attention of archeologists toward the highlands and the tropical forest regions. Indeed, in the 1930s he rediscovered the site of Huari, and in the late 1940s, Willey, Collier, and Rowe visited the site and published a short note on their perceptive observations. In addition, Bennett carried out test excavations in 1953 and produced a general map of Huari.

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A tomb of one of the last of the Mochicas

(Gamma)

It was not until the 1960s and 1970s, however, that a substantive understanding of Huari and its connection to Tiahuanaco began to emerge, thanks to the research of Luis Lumbreras, Menzel, Isbell, and others. Chavín, despite its possible role as the founding civilization of Peru, was known almost entirely from its coastal manifestations—though Bennett and Tello had each carried out investigations at Chavín de Huantar. Again, excavations in the 1960s and 1970s began to redress this imbalance. John Rowe carried out a study of meaning and stylistic change in stone sculpture at Chavín de Huantar; Lumbreras and Amat carried out excavations at Chavín de Huantar; archaeologists from the University of Tokyo carried out extensive surveys and excavations in the upper Huallaga Valley; Lathrap, together with students from the University of Illinois, initiated a program of research in the tropical forest regions; and Richard Burger completed further investigations at Chavín de Huantar and the surrounding region.

Surprisingly, almost no archaeological research on Inca sites had been carried out, the exceptions being Uhle’s excavations at Pachacamac and Rowe’s survey of Inca sites around Cuzco. In the mid-1960s, however, the Huanuco project was initiated, and it integrated ethnohistoric research carried out by John Murra and archaeological survey and excavations under the direction of Donald Thompson and Craig Morris. This project, for the first time, provided insight into the functioning of a provincial Inca administrative center.

Many research projects were carried out during the latter half of the twentieth century, despite the fact that much research was curtailed by the terrorist activities of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) group. Notable for the size and number of people involved were the