New Investigations at Pachamachay and Panaulauca Caves, Junín, Peru

Summary

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

We present the results of 2019 excavations at Pachamachay and Panaulauca, two Early Holocene archaeological sites in the high Andes of central Peru. These classic sites, previously excavated in the 1970s and 80s, provide evidence for early and persistent use of the high-elevation (>4000 m above sea level) Andes mountains. We used a low-impact approach to access previous excavation profiles and generate improved chronological and stratigraphic data. We also re-documented the sites using high-resolution geographic and imaging technologies. New basal AMS ages securely date Panaulauca and Pachamachay to the Early Holocene (11.1 to 10.6 ka and 9.7 to 9.5 ka, respectively). Using our new chronology, we recontextualize previous lithic and faunal data and share preliminary insights from the sediment micromorphology analysis. Our recent data, in concert with legacy collections, published work, and new geographic information and imagery, provide a pioneering approach for reviving iconic sites excavated in the 1900s. Holistically, this work contributes to an improved understanding of early human exploration and occupation of extreme environments.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37165.0