Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Huaynuná, a Late Cotton Preceramic Site on the North Coast of Peru

1990; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 17; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1179/009346990791548501

2042-4582

Thomas Pozorski, Shelia Pozorski,

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Recent investigations have revealed evidence for two distinct prehistoric Andean religious traditions at the preceramic site of Huaynuná north of the Casma Valley. One, more private, religious tradition is represented by the presence of a ventilated hearth set in a small enclosure, a feature heretofore found primarily in early highland sites associated with the Kotosh Religious Tradition. The second, more public, religious tradition is represented by a relatively large elevated structure built on a hillside, a precursor to the much larger religious mounds that are widespread on the coast of Peru during the Initial Period. Radiocarbon evidence from Huaynuná coupled with dating from other Casma Valley sites, indicates that larger-scale irrigation agriculture, use of pottery, and weaving did not appear in the Casma Valley area until about 1600 B.C., some 200 years later than similar occurrences on the central coast of Peru.