Pachacamac (archaeological site)
Pachacamac is an archaeological site located on the right bank of the Lurín River, very close to the Pacific Ocean and facing a group of islands with the same name. It is located in the district of Lurín, in the province of Lima, Peru. It covers some 500 hectares; It presents four temples, fourteen buildings with ramped platforms, twenty-one buildings and several plazas, in addition, it contains the remains of various buildings dating from the Early Intermediate (III) to the Late Horizon (XV century), being the buildings of the Inca period (1450- 1532) the best preserved.
There was an old pre-Hispanic oracle built basically with adobe bricks. This site was the main place of worship to the god Pachacámac, to whom the creation of the universe and everything it contains was attributed. And that it has a water tunnel underneath that reaches the whole place but now it is no longer in use.
The archaeological site is part of the Qhapaq Ñan road network.
Composition
Its major architectural structures are the following:
- Temple of the Sunthe most imposing construction erected by the incas.
- Temple of the Moon o Acllahuasi, also from the Inca period. It was restored by J. C. Tello, who called it Mamaconas.
- Old Temple, the oldest in the Lima culture, is currently in ruins.
- Painted TempleHuari period.
- Tauri Chumpi Building, where presumably the last local governor of the inca period stayed.
- Regional levels or set of pyramids with ramp, of the Ichma culture.
- Plaza de los pilgrimsFrom the Inca era.
You can visit the buildings, temples, squares and the Site Museum, which preserves valuable pieces found in this place.
History of the sanctuary
The Archaeological Sanctuary of Pachacamac is considered the most important pre-Hispanic ceremonial center on the coast and an exceptional testimony of a pre-Hispanic tradition, this being of a religious nature, a focus of miscegenation and cultural fusion.[citation required ] During the use of this sanctuary, its temples were visited by crowds of pilgrims on the occasion of the great Andean rituals, as Pachacámac was an accurate oracle capable of predicting the future and controlling the movements of the earth. People from all over the Andes also came to the sanctuary of Pachacámac in search of solutions to their problems or answers to their doubts.
The word Pachacámac means “soul of the earth, the one who animates the world”. The ancient Peruvians believed that a single movement of your head would cause earthquakes. You couldn't look him directly in the eye, and even his priests entered the compound with their backs turned.[citation needed] The cult of Pachacámac was the center of all coastal religion. Likewise, according to archaeological data, Pachacamac began in the late formative period, since in the pampas located in front of the monumental zone there is a cemetery corresponding to settlers who probably lived dedicated to fishing, agriculture and the exploitation of the hills.
The sanctuary is located in the Valley of Pachacámac, District of Pachacámac, which constitutes the territorial framework of its location and on whose margins a series of towns settled three thousand years ago, taking advantage of its waters. The first occupations date from the Archaic period (5000 BC); then, in the Formative period (1800 BC - 200 BC) Mina Perdida, Cardal and Manchay stand out; in the Late Formative (200 BC – 200 AD) various local styles are distinguished such as Tablada de Lurín and Villa El Salvador.
In the period of Regional Developments (200-600 AD) the Lima culture was developed and distributed along the central coast in the contiguous valleys of Chancay, Chillón, Rímac and Lurín. The construction of the sanctuary began in this period, with Pachacamac being the most important center in the Lurín Valley. At that time, both the Old Temple, an imposing mass made with adobitos forming panels with the “bookcase” technique, and the “Adobitos” Lima Adobe Set were built.
From 600 to 1100 AD. C. evidence of the Wari empire is concentrated in Pachacamac. The heyday of the Pachacamac oracle occurred precisely during the Middle Horizon - Wari period, when it became a religious center that attracted a large number of pilgrims, reaching its first Pan-Andean splendor. From this period dates an extensive cemetery, excavated by Max Uhle in 1896, which is located at the foot of and below the Temple of Pachacamac, as well as a series of ceramic offerings found in the area.
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About 1100 AD. C., the Ychma established their center of power in Pachacamac, with a series of residential and administrative settlements that include pyramids with a ramp, among others, standing out Tijerales, Quebrada Golondrina, Pacae Redondo and Panquilma, in the Lurín valley. In 1470 the Incas had established an important provincial capital in Pachacamac where buildings such as the Temple of the Sun and the Acllawasi, among others, stood out. Added to the religious importance of Pachacamac was its functioning as one of the main administrative centers of the coast during this period.
When the Spanish arrived in 1533, Pachacamac was the most important sanctuary on the coast, as confirmed by the accounts of the chroniclers. The abandonment of the sanctuary of Pachacamac dates from the colonial period. Over time, prominent researchers such as Max Uhle, Julio C. Tello, Arturo Jiménez Borja, Izumi Shimada and Denise Pozzi-Escot (director of the Pachacamac Site Museum, (MSPAC), among others, have contributed important research to understand the sanctuary.
Currently, the Ministry of Culture continues to develop a series of research and conservation works to contribute to the knowledge and dissemination of such an important archaeological heritage.
Timeline
- Early Intermediate (100-650 AD). It is the oldest era that corresponds to the Lima Culture. From this time are the Old Temple (or Pachacamac Temple), the Urpi Huachac Temple (the mythological wife of the god Pachacamac) and the Adobitos Set, built from small adobes or “adobits”. It is also possible that later buildings cover other buildings of this time.
- Horizon Media (650-900 d.C.). It is the time of the domination of Huari culture. It belongs to it the Painted Temple and the Uhle Cemetery.
- Intermediate Late (900-1450 AD). Pachacamac becomes the main center of the Lordship Ichma. From this time there are about 16 buildings with access ramps, which archaeologists have called Temples with Rampa or Nunciatures. Three of them have been studied, called I (or JB [Jiménez Borja]), II and III.
- Late Horizon (1450-1532 AD). It is the time of the domination of the Incas, who remodel Pachacamac, adapting it to their political and religious purposes. From this time are the Temple of the Sun (the most imposing building), the Temple of the Moon or Acllahuasi, the Tauri Chumpi Building (or the Incaic Governor) and the Plaza de los Peregrinos.
Studies and research
The first scientific archaeological excavations in Pachacamac were carried out by the German archaeologist Max Uhle in 1897, and they focused on two buildings called the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon (Acllahuasi). On these studies the German scholar published in 1903 the magnificent work entitled Pachacamac, which was highly praised and is still used as a basic text for the study of South American archaeology. Uhle was the first to notice in the ceramics, textiles and other artifacts unearthed, iconographies typical of Tiahuanaco (altiplano culture), which we now know is actually the style of the Huari culture, but which at the time led to theorizing about the existence of a Tiahuanacota empire in the Andean region. Likewise, he was the first in America to use the stratigraphic method in his excavations, which allowed him to assess the age of some remains in relation to others based on their position in the strata analyzed.
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Years later, in 1938, the American Albert Giesecke led a project to rebuild the site with the sponsorship of the National Museum, which uncovered important remains in the area of the Temple of the Sun, such as textile fibers and utensils well preserved. He also started the reconstruction of the Acllahuasi. The work of Giesecke, who was not an archaeologist by profession (he was actually an economist and a teacher), was energetically criticized by Julio C. Tello, then director of the Anthropological Museum of Magdalena in Lima, who took up said work in 1939. Tello revealed the details. architectural features of the Temple of the Sun that had been covered by deposits of sand and discovered a rectangular square to the east of the temple, probably used to welcome people who went on a pilgrimage to the sanctuary, for which it was called Plaza de los Peregrinos. Tello also discovered a system of cisterns and aqueducts that collected water from subsoil aquifer strata, one of which was still visible to the south of Acllahuasi, a building that Tello called Mamaconas. The latter was completely restored, but it is said that when Max Uhle, after long years of absence, was back in Peru in 1941, he went to see Pachacamac and was irritated to see the restorations that Tello had done. Shaking his head, he said: "This is not the Pachacamac I knew!"
In 1941 the Institute of Andean Research began stratigraphic excavations in the area, under the supervision of William Duncan Storng and Gordon Willey.
In 1962, Arturo Jiménez Borja, director of the Pachacamac site museum, led excavations that uncovered numerous artifacts. That same year he discovered a zigzag path that led to the Temple of the Sun. In the following years he directed additional excavations on the north side of said temple and brought to light what he called the Palace of Tauri Chumpi (name of the Inca governor of Pachacamac during the time of the Spanish conquest) and other residential structures from the Inca period.
In 1999 the "Ychsma Project" began, the purpose of which was to determine the function, development and influence of Pachacamac during the Ichma period, immediately prior to the Inca period (circa 1100-1450 AD.). The work was led by archaeologist Peter Eeckhout of the Free University of Brussels and focused on the ramp pyramids.
In 2003, the "Proyecto Arqueológico Pachacamac" began, directed by Izumi Shimada, which made excavations in the Plaza de los Peregrinos, definitively demonstrating the ceremonial use of such site thanks to the recovery of idols, fabrics and ceramics.
Since 2012, a scientific mission of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche of Italy, led by Nicola Masini, has been conducting a study on the ancient water channeling system through methods based on geophysics and satellite remote sensing.
Description
Old Temple
It is the oldest and most imposing building in the complex. Currently it is very destroyed, although there are still remains of its retaining walls. It is located on a rocky promontory and is characterized by the massive use of small raw adobe bricks (dried in the sun), a style that allows it to be placed chronologically in the Early Intermediate, under the influence of the Lima culture (III to VII century AD C.) and was used until the beginning of the Wari Empire (550-700 AD).
Also, it is a large platform built with millions of handmade cubic adobes with an access ramp located to the east. According to Tello, this temple was originally dedicated to the god Pachacamac, this theory arose after offerings of different types were found in the temple.
Temple of the Sun
It is the largest and best preserved building in Pachacamac. It also rises on a rocky promontory, very close to the sea, rising to about 40 m from ground level, and dominating the entire complex. It was built by the Incas around 1450 AD. C. as a sanctuary of the Sun god, the official divinity of Tahuantinsuyo. It is made up of five superimposed platforms, which together make up a truncated pyramid. Its bases are made up mostly of edged stone walls; the rest of the building is built with large adobes, joined with mud mortar. Both the stones and the adobes were plastered with layers of fine earth, with evidence of having been painted throughout its entire length with a deep scarlet or vermilion color. On its western façade, which faces the sea, there is a row of trapezoidal niches, with an unmistakable Inca style.
This was the temple that the Spanish, commanded by Hernando Pizarro, desecrated in January 1533, according to the chronicler Miguel de Estete. The Spaniards, who were looking for gold and silver, climbed to the top of the pyramid, where the idol of the god Pachacamac, carved in wood, was kept in a small vault, which was taken out and burned. The event moved the natives, who feared a catastrophe as punishment; however, nothing happened. From then on, the Spanish priests strove to eradicate what they called "idolatry" and to destroy the "shrines of the devil", according to the Catholic conception. But, according to studies carried out by the researcher María Rostworowski, the old cult of Pachacamac has syncretized in a perennial tone with the modern Catholic veneration of the Lord of Miracles, also called Christ of Pachacamilla and who Coincidentally, it also has purple as a symbolic color, similar to scarlet or vermilion, used profusely in the ceremonial of the god of Pachacamac (or Ichma, its original name).
Temple of the Moon or Mamaconas
Also called the Pachamama Sanctuary. It was Max Uhle who called it the Temple of the Moon, while Julio C. Tello called it Mamaconas. It was restored by Alberto Giesecke in 1938 and then by Tello in 1940. The serious damage that can be seen today in its structure was caused by the 1940 earthquake and other subsequent tremors.
It was undoubtedly an Acllahuasi or house of the acllas, residence of the chosen women, who the Spanish equated to the vestals of ancient Rome. It is located in the lower part of the area occupied by the ruins of Pachacamac. It presents stands, patios, ceremonial sites, water reservoirs, deposits and innumerable rooms. It is in this building where the Inca architectural style can be distinguished, more clearly than in others, not only for its niches and trapezoidal doors with double jambs, but also for the stones of its walls that can be seen for long stretches, unmistakably from Cuzco.. The niches are over 2 m high and possibly served as niches for idols brought from various provinces.
Tauri Chumpi Building
It is an architectural complex that sits on a rocky promontory, to the north, considered the residence of Tauri Chumpi or Taurichumbi, the Inca curaca or governor of Pachacamac when the Spanish arrived. It was precisely Tauri Chumpi who received [Hernando Pizarro] and his small host in 1533. It would therefore be an example of the civil architecture of Pachacamac. It has high walls, warehouses, corrals and rooms.
Regional “nunciatures”
A group of 16 pyramidal buildings with ramps, dating from between 1100 and 1450 (period of the Ichma culture), are known as "nunciatures". The base of each one is made of edged stones and the rest is adobe; its walls were plastered.
When the Spanish arrived they were already abandoned. Currently most of them are in a dilapidated situation. Uhle called them "palaces." The name "nunciature" derives from some reports recorded in the chronicle of Antonio de la Calancha (1639), from which it is inferred that in Pachacamac some kinds of diplomatic-religious headquarters were erected, representing the various nations of the world. Andean people who worshiped the god (Kauffmann 2002).
Two of these pyramids have been studied:
- The Pyramid with Rampa I or JB building (Jiménez Borja), which between 1968 and 1969 was subjected to cleaning and consolidation by Arturo Jiménez Borja and Alberto Bueno. This building gives us a clear idea of what was the plant of a pyramid with ramp: a large front yard, then the pyramidal volume that is accessed through ramps. On the top of the pyramid an architectural display in the form of hardware opens a series of small environments. Behind the pyramidal mole there are large food deposits.
- The Pyramid with Rampa II was scientifically studied between 1981 and 1983 by archaeologist Ponciano Paredes with the supervision of Jiménez Borja.
Painted Temple or Temple of Pachacamac
It is a stepped pyramid about 100 m long by about 50 m wide. Like other buildings, its base is made of stone and its upper structures are made of adobe, all plastered with a thin layer of mud. Its top is reached by a zigzag path that ascends by means of long ramps, where there are two large patios. On three of its sides there are nine terraces or rather steps, somewhat curved and almost a meter high. These terraces originally had their walls painted in red and some of their sectors had multicolored figures representing people, fish, marine animals and plants in pink, yellow and greenish blue. These paintings, discovered in the 1930s, are now degraded or erased entirely. Due to the style of its paintings, this sanctuary can be located at the time of the Tiahuanaco-Huari influence (650-900 AD).
Pilgrims' Square
It is a large rectangular level space, in front of the west side of the Temple of the Sun. It dates from the Inca period (1450 AD) and presumably served as an anteroom for pilgrims who went to consult the oracle of Pachacamac. It stretches about 300 m, had walls and included a seat or throne (ushnu). The foundations of a double row of columns are also observed, which run through the center and sides of the field, the same one that could have served as a support for a roof or light cover, perhaps made of Totora. A third row of columns can be seen in the direction of the Temple of the Sun.
Pachacamac Site Museum
The archaeological sanctuary has an on-site museum that was originally founded by Arturo Jiménez Borja in 1965 and reopened on February 15, 2016 with a modern building.
In 2012, the executive branch launched a management plan for the Pachacamac Sanctuary, which proposed the conservation of the Sanctuary's values and participatory collaboration for its management, and it was approved in 2014, through Supreme Decree N 004-2014 -MC.
It has a collection of more than 6,500 pre-Hispanic pieces of various materials such as ceramics, wood, metal, and textiles. One of the emblematic pieces of the museum is the idol of Pachacamac.
Climate
It is considered that the best time to visit Pachacamac, 31.5 km south of Lima, is between the months of January and June, and between November and December, when the weather is pleasant and the average maximum of 23 barely oscillates °C in the month of February and 19 °C in June.