A Second Room of the Posts? Ceremonialism at La Marcha during Late Nasca and the Middle Horizon

Summary

Preliminary investigations of the La Marcha site have revealed a key residential, mortuary, and ceremonial locale in the Las Trancas Valley. While initial use of the site occurred during the late Formative, here we report on the considerable Late Nasca and Middle Horizon occupation. In addition to residential zones, we documented large plazas with huarango post features similar to those at Estaquería and Cahuachi. These include complexes of up to 9 posts, oriented in rectilinear clusters along the cardinal directions. Test excavations of huarango features revealed a ceremonial space constructed by Late Nasca people and ritually interred by Loro people during the Middle Horizon. These data illustrate a region-wide tradition associated with huarango posts that emerged during the cultural reformation at the end of the Early Intermediate Period and continued in local Middle Horizon culture. In addition to illuminating ceremonial practices during this important transition, these data also demonstrate that Loro traditions had deep roots in Late Nasca society.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• From Foragers to Empires: Recent Research on the South Coast of Peru

Keywords

Spatial Coverage