Cajamarca

Cumbemayo Archaeological Complex

Cumbemayo offers a site of singular beauty that reveals a mixture of human ingenuity and the power of water to change the landscape. The complex is composed of three important archaeological groups: the Aqueduct, the Sanctuary and the Caves and Shelters. The aqueduct is an ingenious work of hydraulic engineering that belongs to the initial period of the Cajamarca culture (1000BC). The five kilometer long canal takes water from the Atlantic watershed and redirects it to the Pacific side of the continental divide. The Sanctuary is a rocky structure with the appearance of a gigantic human head. It features engravings similar to those found on the aqueduct, and similar carvings can be found in the caves and stone monoliths that litter the valley.

Kuntur Wasi Ceremonial Center

A ceremonial center that corresponds with the Initial and Early Horizon periods, Kuntur Wasi dates from about 1100 BC. The complex rises from platforms and plazas, sustained by stone walls of enormous size. The platforms contain a series of enclosures. In the year 250 BC the complex was destroyed, and the settlement area was then moved to a place named “Cerro Blanco” — the White Peak, which has numerous structures of similar style.

Ransom Room (Cuarto del Rescate)

This small room is believed to be the place where the Inca Empire’s demise began with the capture of the Emperor Atahualpa. Held for ransom by Spanish conquistadors, Atahualpa hoped to obtain his liberty by promising to fill one room with gold, and two others with silver and precious stones high enough to reach his upstretched arm, hence the name “Ransom Room.” The treasure was delivered, but Francisco Pizarro executed the hostage anyway with a garrot around his throat.

Layzón Pyramid

A monumental structure from the early pre-Hispanic period, the Layzón temple takes the form of a truncated pyramid with rounded corners and containment walls, as well as tall monoliths with bas-relief carvings cut into the rock. The walls of the temple reach heights of more than six meters. To the southeast lie a large platform and various enclosures stretching along the hillside. The main structure is built from interlocking stones.

Necropolis of Combayo

These tombs have been carved into the rocky and sheer Mount San Cristobal, near the village of Combayo. The niches share characteristics with the Windows of Otuzco closer to town, but are better preserved. They also correspond to the same cultural and chronological period, between 300 and 800 AD.

Windows of Otuzco

Known by archaeologists as the Necropolis of Otuzco, the “windows” refer to the appearance of the tomb entrances in a series of horizontal rows. The windows have been hollowed out to form square and rectangular chambers, carved into a rocky surface of volcanic origin. Some evidence suggests the tombs correspond to the Cajamarca culture, which had influence in the region between 300 AD and 800 AD.

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