One Hundred Years of Research at Huaca del Loro, Nasca, Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Almost 100 Years since Julio C. Tello: Research at Huaca del Loro, Nasca, Peru" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

It has been almost 100 years since Julio C. Tello, the father of Peruvian archaeology, and his team first investigated the site of Huaca del Loro in Nasca, Peru. During this time the site has been interpreted as a cemetery, a settlement with both elites and commoners, a possible highland Huarpa site, the largest local town during the Middle Horizon, and a place of resistance against the Wari empire. Excavations in 2019 and 2022 reveal the settlement is multifaceted and includes a Wari colony with imperial-style compounds and a D-shaped temple, a substantial elite cemetery with hybrid Wari and local Nasca burial practices, and a large residential area. The D-shaped temple and the burial of at least four mummy bundles (fardos) next to it indicate that ritual, including ancestor worship, was an important aspect of this site. Evidence of the processing of pigments, manufacturing of stone tools, and the growing of large quantities of cotton attest to the economic function of the settlement. Huaca del Loro reflects the complex relationship between the highland Wari and Nasca people, and the dynamics of colonial expansion and local responses.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Almost 100 Years since Julio C. Tello: Research at Huaca del Loro, Nasca, Peru   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36063.0