Sechin Alto is a massive architectural complex in

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 ...

belonging to the Early Formative period (2000-1500 BC). It is located in the

Casma Province The Casma Province is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region of Peru. Political division Casma is divided into four districts, which are: Ethnic groups The province is inhabited by indigenous citizens of Quechua descent. Spanish is th ...

, the

Ancash Region Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital i ...

, on the left bank of the

Sechín River The Sechín River is a seasonal river about long in the Ancash, Ancash department of Peru that remains dry for long seasons, increasing its volume at times of rain in the mountains at its source. It is of irregular regime, due to this is known as ...

, east of the town of the same name. Other important archaeological sites such as

Cerro Sechin Cerro is Spanish for "hill" or "mountain". Toponyms ;Bolivia: * Cerro Rico, the "Rich Mountain" containing silver ore near Potosi, Bolivia ;Brazil: * Cerro Branco, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul * Cerro Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, a munici ...

and

Sechin Bajo Sechin Bajo is a large archaeological site with ruins dating from 3500 BCE to 1300 BCE, making it not only one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Western Hemisphere, but also one of the oldest civilization centers on earth. Sechin Baj ...

are located nearby.

Studies

Archaeologist Julio C. Tello was the first to make a thorough description of this archaeological site during his visit to the valley of Casma in 1937. He determined that this was the largest architectural structure not only in Peru, but in all of the Americas. The site was later studied by archaeologists :es:Rosa Fung Pineda and Carlos Williams (1979), and by Thomas and Shelia Pozorski (1987).

Description

The main structure, called "Templo", has a pyramidal shape. It measures 350m by 300m, and reaches the height of 35m. It consists of raised embankments and walls with large stones alternating with smaller ones; conical adobe bricks are seen in the interior. In front of the "Templo" extend five courts or plazas, some with sunken circular courts; this indicates the ceremonial character of the whole complex. The complex is oriented to the northwest, and its length is about 2 km. Around this complex, numerous smaller structures – all oriented along the main axes – are distributed. Currently, these areas are used for agriculture, so they have not yet been studied. The whole of Sechin Alto complex covers the area of 300-400 hectares, or five times the size of

Caral The Sacred City of Caral-Supe or simply Caral, is an archaeological site where the remains of the main city of the Caral civilization are found. It is located in Peru in the Supe valley, near the current town of Caral, 182 kilometers north of L ...

, one of the largest Archaic sites in Peru. Because of its size, this may have been the administrative center of the whole Sechin cultural area.

Related sites

This area represents the confluence of Sechin and

Casma Casma is a city in the coastal desert of Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National s ...

rivers, and there are several other important sites here. In front of Sechin Alto, on the other side of Sechin River, is the complex of

with its ancient occupation going back to 3,500 BC. The more famous nearby site is called

, located southwest along the same bank of Sechin River. It is known for its high stone walls with reliefs depicting "warrior-priests" with their mutilated enemies; this architectural complex dates back to 1,500-2,000 BC. The stone reliefs belong to the latest construction phase. Sechin Alto is the largest of the four main sites in this area. According to S. Pozorski, the other three big sites, Taukachi-Konkan, Sechin Bajo, and Cerro Sechin, feature numerous similarities, and may have been constructed at the same time,

"Critical to the definition of the Sechin Alto Complex were the consistent orientation and similarity in mound form and site layout of Sechin Alto site, Taukachi-Konkan, and Sechin Bajo. Cerro Sechin was included based on its physical proximity to the other sites and its conical adobe constructions which suggested contemporaneity with the other sites. The component sites of Sechin Alto, Taukachi Konkan, Sechin Bajo, and Cerro Sechin were assumed to be coexistent and in continuous interaction, forming an immense settlement that occupied much of the floodplain in the northern Sechin Branch of the Casma River during the Initial Period (2150—1000 BC)."

Political organization

According to the Pozorskis, the earliest cultural phase in this area may be described as the Moxeke (

Mojeque Mojeque, or ''Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke'', is a large archaeological site located in the Casma Province of Ancash Region in northern Peru. Archaeologists believe it functioned as a temple or religious structure. It contains two large mounds, ma ...

) Phase. This was during the early Initial Period. After this, there was the Sechin Phase.

"Preliminary data suggesting connections among Sechin Alto Complex sites, Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke in the south branch, and certain coastal sites north of the Casma River mouth indicate that the greater Casma Valley area was unified during the early Initial Period by the Moxeke polity which existed during a time span defined here as the Moxeke Phase. Near the end of the Initial Period, during the time span labeled here as the Sechin Phase, political power became centralized by the Sechin polity within the Sechin branch as Pampa de las Llamas Moxeke ceased to be occupied; and the coastal site of
Las Haldas Las Haldas or Las Aldas is a large archaeological complex from before and during the initial ceramic period (1800–1000 BCE) of Peru. Las Haldas is located on the Pacific coast approximately north of Lima and about south of the Casma river ...
, which had long existed in isolation, was incorporated as a major satellite of Sechin Alto Complex sites."SHELIA POZORSKI AND THOMAS POZORSKI (2002)
''The Sechin Alto Complex and Its Place Within Casma Valley Initial Period Development.''
in Andean Archaeology I.

Notes

References

*SHELIA POZORSKI AND THOMAS POZORSKI (2002)
''The Sechin Alto Complex and Its Place Within Casma Valley Initial Period Development.''
in Andean Archaeology I * Kauffmann Doig, Federico: ''Historia y arte del Perú antiguo''. Tomo 1, p. 133. Lima, Ediciones PEISA, 2002. * Kaulicke, Peter: ''El Perú Antiguo I''. Los períodos arcaico y formativo, p. 51. Colección Historia del Perú, editada por la Empresa Editora El Comercio S.A. Lima, 2010. * Silva Sifuentes, Jorge E. T.: ''Origen de las civilizaciones andinas''. Incluida en la ''Historia del Perú''. Lima, Lexus Editores, 2000. * Williams, Carlos: ''Arquitectura y urbanismo en el antiguo Perú'' Incluida en “Historia del Perú”, Tomo VIII, Perú Republicano y procesos e instituciones, pp. 428–429. Lima, Editorial Mejía Baca, 1980.

External links

Cerro Sechin and Sechin Alto
- photos and detailed description {{Coord, -9.4654, -78.2426, type:landmark, display=title Archaeological sites in Ancash Region Archaeological sites in Peru Andean preceramic History of Peru