Marcahuamachuco
The architectural remains of a Pre-Inca civilization, the exact origin of which is still a mystery, although there is clearly influence from the cultures of Chavin, Cajamarca, Recuay, and Wari. Located in the La LIbertad Region of Peru 9.5 km to the northwest of the city of Huamachuco. Construction began 400 C.E. The place was an important religious site of oracles, as well as trade, political ceremonies, and later as a burial site of the elite. Built for defense, at elevation 10,000 feet, on the top of an isolated highland mesa, the site is 5 km long and 500 m wide. The outer curved walls of the various "castras" are as high as 12 m. The group of ringed buildings shown here, called Cerro de Las Monjas, is but a small section of the overall site. Marcahuamachuco was conquered in the 14th century C.E. by the Incas, and abandoned in the 15 century C.E.
Location coordinates: 7°46'26.8"S 78°05'12.8"W
-7.774107, -78.086884
Elevation is c. 3500 meters (11500 feet) above sea level.
Materials of construction: stone walls, mud roof over wooden vigas.
Photomontage of Marcahuamachuco upon aerial photo of actual high Andes Mountain site looking south.
Data for CG model:
1. McCown, Theodore D., 1942. The Pre-Incaic Site of Huamachuco, , University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology.
2. Lange, Theresa, 1991. "The Meaning of Monuments at Marcahuamachuco", Topic, 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. New Orelans: April, 1991
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wIJbD6x8RY
