Caral : Contemporary Settlements
- Caral : The Origins of Civilization
- Caral : Civilization State and city
- Caral : Supe and the Area Norcentral
- Caral : Contemporary Settlements
- Caral : Production and Exchange
- Caral : Religion and Goverment
- Caral : Social Classes
- Caral : Conclusions
Chupacigarros
ARCHITECTURAL COMPONENTS:
This settlement comprises a dozen architectural constructions, yet to be excavated. The buildings are spread over the hills, around a large central space. One building, bigger than the others, is associated with a sunken circular plaza, very similar to the one at Caral. Residential units can be seen on the outskirts
- A sunken circular plaza is set in front of the pyramid, with stairs in the center of its circumference and large monoliths at the foot of the steps
- The south stairway of the plaza provides access to one of the platforms of the pyramid, on which there are three large rooms and several other smaller ones.
- The main rooms are designed with a low central space containing a ceremonial fireplace, surrounded by raised
sides. Each of these rooms is separated from the next
one by a kind of antechamber. - The smaller rooms are linked to the complex by narrow passageways and stairs. Evidence found in them suggests a residential function. However, some could have been used for handicraft and ritual activities.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES:
This complex was built with walls of quarried stone, bonded with mud mortar, plastered and painted white. Some of the main walls are decorated with friezes of aligned geometric figures in relief.
FUNCTION:
The dimensions of the pyramid and the presence of the circular plaza indicate that this architectural complex was used for ceremonial, political, and administrative functions, and that it was the main public building of the Chupacigarro settlement.
Lurihuasi
This settlement is located on the left bank of Supe River, 3.6 km west of the city of Caral. It is situated in a dry gully and has a semicircular layout. The most noticeable features are one main mound and five secondary ones, and platforms of different dimensions. In all, there are 24 structures occupying an area of 37.8 hectares.
Excavations have now begun in the E sector, composed of a rectangular platform and a medium-sized pyramid structure. In the pyramid, an antechamber, an atrium, and adjacent rooms have been identified; the atrium has a central fireplace and side benches. The fact that it faces toward the valley suggests rituals linked with fertility and agriculture; the adjacent rooms show evidence of residential and ritual usage.
The walls were constructed with angular stones of different sizes, set in place with mud mortar, plastered and painted gray. Offerings were found in the form of bundles of willow twigs tied with cotton threads.
Miraya
This settlement is also on the left bank of Supe River, 2.3 km from the city of Caral; it has an area of approximately 43 hectares. It can be divided roughly into one area with architectural structures and another with geoglyphs, toward the west.
Seven sectors have been identified, where public buildings and domestic structures are found, as well as two circular plazas. The main pyramid of the A Sector measures 77 m by 72 m and it has a circular plaza of 25 m, in the Caral direction. The main pyramid of B Sector is 80 m by 50 m and its circular plaza measures 15 m.
Excavation has started in Sub-sector C-4, which has two adjacent pyramids, the High Pyramid (12 m high and 40.1 m x 50.4 m at its base) and the Low Pyramid (6 m high and 22 m x 31 m at its base).
The outside walls, built with stones and mud mortar, were plastered and painted yellow. The rooms are large spaces enclosed with walls made of willow poles and woven cane panels covered with clay, plastered, and painted white. These were subdivided with adobe walls. Many offerings of unbaked clay figurines have been found
La Galgada
The site of La Galgada is in the Chuquicara gully, in the low, dry part of the Tablachaca canyon, one of the tributaries of the Santa River in the department of Ancash, some 1,100 meters above sea level.
La Galgada has two mounds and a residential area. The two mounds were formed by a succession of fills, floors and square rooms. These rooms, which have their right-angled corners rounded off, have floors on two levels and central fireplaces with ventilation ducts.
The larger mound, in the north, is in the form of a stepped pyramid with five levels; in the upper third of the outside wall it has a series of niches. In front of the pyramid there is a sunken circular plaza.
La Galgada is one of eleven settlements built in Chuquicara during the Late Archaic period. The society that built it also belonged to the interregional trading network, making the most of its strategic position on a short route linking the coastal strip, the Andean highlands, and the Amazon region.
Kotosh
This is one of the earliest settlements of the Late Archaic that has been investigated. It is 5 km northwest of the city of Huánuco, in the valley of the Higueras River, which is a tributary of the Huallaga River, on the eastern slope of the Andes.This arid valley witnessed the development of one of the most advanced peoples of that period.
The best-known building, which could be said to be symbolic of Kotosh, is the Temple of the Crossed Hands. This is a square room, 9,5 m by 9,5 m and 2 m high. Its entrance was painted red, unlike the rest of the construction that was covered with brownish-yellow mortar. The floor is on two levels and there is a circular fireplace with ventilation ducts. The sculpture of the crossed hands is molded beneath one of the niches.
The constructors of Kotosh made their living growing crops, raising guinea-pigs, and hunting; and, like other contemporary societies, they took part in the trading network established in the north-central area of Peru.
Information and Photos by www.caralperu.gob.pe
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