New Evidence of Late Intermediate and Inca Occupation at Jahuay, Quebrada de Topará, Peru

Summary

Located at the mouth of the Quebrada Topará on the Peruvian South Coast, Jahuay is a multicomponent site key to understanding the rise and spread of the Topará cultural tradition—and the Paracas decline—during the Early Horizon. Limited systematic archaeological work in the mid-20th century defined Jahuay as the type-site for Topará ceramics, and also reported the existence of tombs on the site’s upper terraces that were initially dated to the Late Horizon (AD 1450-1532). However, 2017 investigations revealed the existence of a previously unreported Late Intermediate (AD 1100-1450) and Late Horizon occupation at Jahuay’s beachside edge. Although this sector has been severely damaged by both human and environmental forces, we recovered well-preserved material culture, including ceramics, plant remains, marine shell, and animal bone. This poster presents this body of evidence and considers the implications of this newly identified later occupation within the regional settlement pattern for the Peruvian South Coast.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21907