Huaca Casa Rosada is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

located in San Miguel District, in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, which occupies a total of 5300 square meters in the current urban area. The site presents evidence of human occupation from the Intermediate period to the Inca period and remains from the Spanish colonial and Republican periods.

Location

Huaca Casa Rosada is located between the streets Prolongación Cusco, pasaje Rosario Araoz and Prolongación Ayacucho in the district de San Miguel, in Lima, Peru.

History

The archaeological site consists of a square-shaped structure of approximately 36 meters on each side and around 3 to 4 meters high, formed by

rammed earth Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method. ...

and

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

to build a platform. It presents occupations that go from the end of the Intermediate period to the Late period, passing through the Late Intermediate in which it belonged to the Maranga archaeological complex, subject to the

Ichma Ichma, Ychma, Yschma, Ychsma, Ichmay, Irma, Izma, Ishmay or Ishma (old Quechua for cinnabar, vermilion, crimson color) was a pre-Inca indigenous polity later absorbed by the Inca Empire and reorganized as a wanami (province). For the Inca it was ...

Lordship. The use of the platform during this period is unknown. Until the mid-1970s, Huaca Casa Rosada was located in a large crop field, and parallel to its north and west sides were irrigation ditches, which deteriorated the lower part of the huaca. The huaca has structures with big adobes that were filled with earth and wall fragments to serve as the base for the house of Republican period, known as "Casa Rosada", made with

Quincha Quincha is a traditional construction system that uses, fundamentally, wood and cane or giant reed forming an earthquake-proof framework that is covered in mud and plaster. History Quincha is a Spanish term widely known in Latin America, borrow ...

and wood walls. This house had a square floor plan and its structure was made of posts on

white oak The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera '' ...

and mulatto oak that probably came from

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

, Ecuador, and included some minor pieces in huarango wood. Despite being a single-story construction, the quincha used was of the type used in constructions on the second and third levels. The exterior finish was made of a mud-based cake coated with pink-coloured paint. Unfortunately, as a result of the urbanization of the area, known as "Urbanization Pando, second stage", the surrounding land was subdivided into new properties and for the construction of the new houses the beams and columns of the Casa Rosada were used as construction material, destroying totally the republican vestiges. On December 4, 2003, through National Directorial Resolution No. 879, the

National Institute of Culture The 'National Institute of Culture of Peru (INC) is a government organization under the authority of the Ministry of Education. Its headquarters are located in the city of Lima and its rector is Cecilia Bákula. Objectives The institute's objectiv ...

(INC) declared Huaca Casa Rosada as Cultural Patrimony of the Nation. In 2004, when Salvador Heresi was mayor of San Miguel district, the perimeter of the archaeological site was fenced and the site was cleaned and the walls consolidated.

Findings

During the archaeological excavations carried out between 1973 and 1974, by the “Seminario de Arqueología” of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, fragments of turned and glazed pottery,

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

and imported fine ceramics from the 16th-18th centuries were found. In particular, fragments of French earthenware, 5 mm thick, with floral motifs painted in fine lines in a blue tone on a white background were found. There were also abundant fragments of dark green and brown glass, made with the free-blown method, and green bottles of French wine. The vitrified ceramics presented multiple motifs in green and blue colors, similar to those found in the Huaca Palomino, and some in shades of brown and green with purple, unique in the Pando area. During excavations in the early 2000s, compartments made of rammed earth walls were found at the top of the building, below the Republican house, and the stairway leading from ground level to the top was determined to be of the colonial-republican period.Narváez, J. (2014)
Pre-colonial Irrigation and Settlement Patterns in Three Artificial Valleys in Lima – Peru (Unpublished doctoral thesis).
University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27399

Gallery

References

{{Reflist, 30em Archaeological sites in Lima Region Archaeological sites Ruins in Peru

Location

History

Findings

Gallery

See also

References