McAndrews presents the results of a regional settlement study to argue that the emergence of highly nucleated early Wankarani villages can be attributed to concentration of highly productive land for a mixed farming-herding economy, defense, and labor pooling. There is little evidence of exotic imported goods, but some indication of small-scale village specialization and economic interdependence. Regional centralization and settlement hierarchy were absent. Instead of continuing to exist in this mode or developing more complex patterns of sociopolitical organization, Wankarani village society was replaced by small, mobile communities, more focused on herding, probably as an adaptation to drying climatic conditions and the disappearance of riverine resources that may have had considerable importance in Wankarani subsistence. The full regional settlement dataset is available online to complement the volume. Complete text in English and Spanish.

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