Unrecognized Complexity: Defining the Significance of Huaca Letrada and the Northern Gallinazo

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Over the last 30 years, perspectives on the Gallinazo and Virú have changed significantly. Results of 2022 intensive surface survey and accompanying drone-based mapping of sites on the south bank of the mid-La Leche Valley show that reassessment must continue. Comparable to the monumental crafting center of Cerro Songoy-Cojal in the mid-Zaña Valley to the south, notable features of Huaca Letrada include the presence of U-shaped monumental architecture built with cane-marked adobe bricks, double-faced stone walls with filled chambers, major canals and aqueducts (or hillside water diversion walls), abundant evidence of copper working and easy access to mineral resources, and strategic location relative to north-south movement. Unlike typical findings in other valleys, however, our survey revealed a wide array of well-fired, decorated utilitarian as well as ritual ceramics that challenge the conventional notion of Gallinazo ceramics and their significance. Overall, we offer a working definition of the Northern Gallinazo polity and culture that is distinct from its southern counterpart[s] and share insights on the significance of Huaca Letrada within the broader Lambayeque region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35760.0