New Evidence of Andean-Amazonian Interaction in the Early Horizon: Excavations at the Chaupiyacu Site, Monzón District, Peru

Summary

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

This paper reports on first identified Early Horizon monumental architectural complexes in the Monzón district, Huamalies Province, Huánuco, Peru. The Monzón River basin is a cloud forest area at an altitude of approximately 1000 m above sea. This area is on the route between Chavin de Huantar, an important highland temple site in the Early Horizon, and the sites of the Upper Amazon such as Cueva de las lechuzas, Tingo Maria, or Tutishcainyo, Pucallpa. Identifying the Early Horizon architectural complexes in this area is extremely important for understanding Andean-Amazonian interactions during this period.

We conducted the first excavation of the Chaupiyacu site in 2022. This site was built on a mountain ridge located at the confluence of two tributaries of the Monzón River. The entire ridge was terraced, and an artificial platform approximately 10 m high was built at the top. Excavation results indicate that the site was constructed in the first half of the Early Horizon and used until the end of the Early Horizon. While the architectural style showed the influences of contemporaneous mountainous sites, some of the local pottery styles had similarities with the Upper Amazon traditions.

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): 37370.0