Materialization, ideology, and power: The development of centralized authority among the pre-Hispanic polities of the Valle Calchaqui, Argentina

In this dissertation, I present a theory of materialization to illustrate how ideology becomes an effective source of power when elites manipulate its concrete forms---ceremonies, monumental architecture, and symbols---to extend ideology beyond the local group. In developing a range of materialized ideological forms, leaders strengthen and legitimate the institutions of their control over resources, labor, or land.;Material displays are a means for individuals and groups to establish and negotiate social identities, as well as to transform them. As part of the political process, strategic manipulation of material displays may involve substantial investments to achieve a wide range of goals. These objectives include building group solidarity, rewarding loyalty, marking boundaries, enhancing prestige, or incurring debts.;In a case study of settlement patterns from the Valle Calchaqui, Argentina, I argue that archaeologists can understand leaders' strategic actions by examining the different forms of materialization. The valley's pre-Hispanic inhabitants witnessed the growth of centralized polities during the Regional Developments period, AD 1000--1410. Regional centers with earthen mounds, public plazas, and areas of specialized production suggesting control of craft production were identified. Broadly similar patterns of materialization throughout the region suggest that ideology and economy were closely interdependent sources of power. At the same time, variation among polities suggests that materialization also provided a means for the ongoing negotiation of political relationships at the local level.;In the main valley, where agricultural lands required little labor input prior to use, the management of conflict appears to have been the underlying source of leaders' authority. In the transverse quebradas, where lands required substantial boulder clearing and terracing before they could be planted, elites materialized an ideology that mapped corporate social structure and land rights onto settlements, through the construction of earthen mounds, rich chiefly burials, and more internally complex settlement organization. These contrasts demonstrate that ideology, through strategic action, can be a significant source of power, and that through materialization it is closely linked to the economy.