Ancash

Willcahuain and Ichic Willcahuain Archaeological Complex

Willcahuain means “house of the grandson.” The site dates to between 700 and 900 AD and was likely built under the influence of the Wari culture. The main building was constructed on a platform that was partially filled with stone and earth in order to create a flat area. The house has 3 levels, each with entrances through different walls, the first west, the second south and the last east. Inside rooms are connected by passages, creating a symmetrical floor plan. The masonry of the walls is rustic stone connected by mud mortar. Eight hundred meters from Willcahuain is Ichic Willcahuain, a complex of smaller buildings in a slightly different style.

Waullac

Waullac dates from the pre-Inca times, around the year 600 AD (Middle Horizon Period) linked to the Recauy culture, and belonging to the Wari period. It’s believed to have been used as a funeral complex, and is composed of 5 stone structures with elevated compartments separated by small niches.

Las Aldas Archaeological Site

An ancient archaeological site dating to 1600 BC. Experts have speculated that its location on the top of a peak gave the builders control of a nearby bay. Another hypothesis is that Aldas was used for religious ceremonies. It was constructed from a grid of masonry and mud, with foundations laid with reed sacks filled with rocks from the mountain. The principal platform is surrounded by 17 lateral and secondary pyramids.

Chanquillo Observatory

Considered the oldest solar observatory in the Americas, this enormous complex was built in the 4th century BC along Peru’s coastal desert. Composed of three concentric oval outer walls, the site covers 4 square kilometers. The “observatory” is a line of evenly spaced low stone towers — “the 13 Towers of Chanquillo” — that run on a north-south axis along ridge. To the west and east of this line, archaeologists have found two observation points. From these the 13 towers are accurate reference markers to plot the position of the sun and moon at different times of the year.

Warriors of Sechin Archaeological Complex

The complex sits on the ridge of a rocky peak and its facade is a wall covered with about 400 stones, carved to represent two columns of approaching warriors. Interspersed between them are depictions of people to be sacrificed amid amputated limbs. There’s still debate over what these figures mean, but their style is unlike any other stone carvings found in Peru. Archaeologists believe that the interior of this structure was built first, from adobe and stone, and then the stone carvings were laid on the outside.

Tumshukaico Archaeological Monument

Tumshukaico is the ruins of an extensive temple complex built from the yellow rock typical of Chachapoyas monuments and featuring carved stone sculptures. The growth of agriculture and urban encroachment has reduced the complex to a fraction of its original size. Among the buildings is “the Cave of Tumshukaico,” a walled subterranean enclosure entered through a narrow stone passage.

Pashas Archaeological Site

This site is linked to the Recuay culture (Early Intermediate Period, c. 100BC-600AD). It consists of 4 structures locally called “caserones” (literally: big, rambling houses). The buildings feature an outer retaining wall with internal chambers constructed on a stone base. These platforms sit on the flanks of a hill, stand up to 15 meters high and are lined with mud. Likewise, a collection of square and rectangular structures on an oval base built on similar platforms on the nearby “La Capilla” peak.

“Cave of the Guitarist” (Cueva de Guitarrero)

This cave is the oldest site found in Peru that shows signs of humans experimenting with the domestication of plants. It was occupied from approximately 9700 BC. Researchers believe that it was used as camping area for a band of hunter-gatherers that lived here for part of the year, only to abandon agricultural pursuits during the hunting season. Thanks to the dryness of the cave rock paintings have been well preserved, allowing experts to retrieve information about the vegetables and animals that the cave’s inhabitants ate and cultivated. When the cave was discovered in the 1960s, the bones of mastodons and llamas were found among the remains.

Sanctuary of Punkuri

The old name for this temple was “Punguchuco,” which means “door” or “hat” in the local language. The complex is believed to have been built by the Sechin culture, dating from 2000-1500 BC. The building is made of two platforms connected by a flight of stairs, and was constructed from adobe and flat slabs of stone, connected by mud mortar. The monument covers an area of roughly 3000m2 and reaches a height of 8 meters. Archaeologists believe it was a temple to a cult of the feline, either puma or jaguar. A figure of a great cat is carved into an adobe and stone doorway.

Chavín de Huántar Complex

The ancient capital of the Chavin culture dates from approximately 1200 BC until its decline in 200 BC. That era is known as the Formative period. The complex is comprised of a series of massive stone buildings. Their scale and the anthropomorphic and animal designs carved on the walls suggest they were temples. The site is on a flood prone river valley, a problem resolved by an ingenious drainage system. Some experts argue that the rushing water was channeled to create the sound of a jaguar’s roar throughout the temple. Archaeologists believe that Chavin was a pilgrimage site, and at least as prominent in its day as Cusco was for the Inca. The buildings are linked by a maze of tunnels and corridors, with strategically placed gaps in the rock allowing an unusual level of sunlight into underground chambers. The buildings have steeply sloping walls, their profile appears pyramidal. It’s evident that these buildings were constructed progressively, with new platforms added to original structures.

Mojeque y Pampa de Llamas

The Pampa de Llamas is an elaborately planned, almost symmetrical urban center in the form of a large central building made from adobe bricks and mud mortar, with smooth-sided walls covered in multi-colored painted murals and high relief carvings. The rounded corners and the human and serpent figures carved on them are reminiscent of the Sechin culture, closely linked to the builders of this complex. The adjoining Mojeque site is famous for the enormous, brightly colored paintings of human faces found in its collection of mud brick houses. The whole complex belongs to the Early Formative Period and is believed to be 3700 years old.

La Galgada Archaeological Site

Belongs to the Formative Period (2000 BC – 200 BC). The site appears to have been a place for religious or mystic ritual. La Galgada consists of several circular buildings, each with a circular furnace, in the middle of a pyramidal structure. A number of construction styles are superimposed on each other, suggesting a long period of occupation and regular additions and refinements to the original buildings. These characteristics are found at the majority of sites from this period in the North Central highlands, and collectively they’re known as the Kotosh Tradition.

Citadel of Pañamarca

This archaeological monument is considered a religious center of the Moche culture. This expansive citadel was built on a large rocky elevated platform by the occupants of the Empeña Valley, during the Formative Period. It includes a stone building with two terraced platforms, united by a central staircase. But the main attractions are three staggered pyramids. The most important of these is composed of five platforms, joined by zigzag ramps.surrounded

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