Yaynu (Hispanicized spellings ''Yaino, Yayno'') is an archaeological site in
Peru
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. It lies in the
Ancash Region,
Pomabamba Province
The Pomabamba Province ( Quechua Puma Pampa) is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru. It was formerly called ''Pumapampa'' (Quechua for "cougar plain") and today it is also known as "The City of Cedars". It is located at the left ...
,
Huayllan District.
It is a hilltop settlement that is considered the most important evidence of the so-called
Recuay culture in the Ancash Region. The site was declared a National Cultural Heritage by ''Resolución Directoral Nacional'' No. 682-INC-2004 on June 17, 2004.
The stone constructions of Yaynu are situated about 17 km south of
Pomabamba
Pomabamba (Quechua Pumapampa, ''puma'' cougar, ''pampa'' large plain, "cougar plain") is a town in the Pomabamba District of the Pomabamba Province in the Ancash Region of Peru
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at a height of more than ,
on the northern slope of Pañahirka ''(Pañajirca)''.
Yaynu is the largest known Recuay site and is best described as a fortified hilltop town. The area of the town is about 25 ha at its core. When counting associated defenses, corrals and terracing, the area is over 105 ha.
The central sector is bounded by perimeter walls and long trenches. The buildings are of stone and densely built up.
History
Survey, mapping and sampling excavations show that its primary occupation dates to cal. AD 400–800, by groups of the Recuay tradition. At the centre of a network articulating small nearby farming villages, Yaynu features an impressive series of natural and built defensive strategies. These worked in concert to protect the community from outsiders and keep internal groups physically segregated.
The fortifications are discussed in relation to local political organization and a martial aesthetic in northern Peru during the period. Recuay elite identity and monumentalism arose out of local corporate traditions of hilltop dwelling and defence.
References
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External links
Yaino ruinsflickrhivemind.net
Archaeological sites in Ancash Region
Archaeological sites in Peru
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