Spatial Analysis of Geoglyphs in the Sihuas Valley, Peru

Summary

Geoglyphs are large features frequently created by removing rocks and surface dirt in order to create a large scale designs. Although often studied in isolation, much can be learned from the position of geoglyphs relative to other features on the landscape. As part of the Quilcapampa Archaeological Project, a reconnaissance survey guided by remotely sensed imagery was performed in order to document and map geoglyph iconography found on the pampa of the Sihuas Valley, Peru. To date, over 100 geoglyphs have been identified. We performed a variety of spatial analyses in order to determine what their location can potentially tell us about their original creation and purpose. In particular, the close proximity of these geoglyphs to ancient trails and roadways on the open pampa speaks to the importance they may have had marking routes and connectivity during the Middle Horizon and Late Intermediate periods.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17358