Cajamarca during the Middle Horizon: Excavations at El Palacio site

Summary

In this paper we present the excavation data from the El Palacio site, a supposed administrative center of the Wari Empire, to consider interaction between the Cajamarca culture and other areas. Kaolin ceramics are an important characteristic of the Cajamarca culture and present a tradition as long as 1600 years, but at the same time indicate gradual changes during 5 phases. El Palacio site corresponds to the period from the Middle Cajamarca Phase B, C, to the first part of the Late Cajamarca Phase. This site functioned when the Wari Empire had power and was abandoned at the same time as the demise of that empire around A.D. 1000. We found foreign ceramics at the El Palacio site as well as new types of tombs and architecture, which are clear evidence of interaction with other areas. We analyzed the material culture to reconstruct the composition of the people and the range of activities carried out at the site. Finally, we consider the peculiarities of the Cajamarca culture and society.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Continuity and Change in the Peruvian North Highlands: Current Research in the Cajamarca Region

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