Populations moved upward to around 3,000m elevation in the Late Intermediate Period. At Tambo (7,000-10,000 people), builders created clay-rich loam terraces for water retention, deliberately removing cobbles. Typical houses were circular, 5m diameter, with elevated entrances. Gran Pajatén, inhabited since 200 BCE, features 26 buildings with elaborate relief carvings.
Late Intermediate Period settlements: stone houses and innovative earth terraces
PeruGeneral
Site mentioned
Key facts
- Populations shifted upward to elevations around 3,000m above sea level during the Late Intermediate Period
- At Tambo (population 7,000-10,000), earth terraces made of clay-rich loam were built to retain water and drain excess, unlike stone terraces on the Pacific side
- Terraces at Tambo were constructed without cobbles, which were deliberately removed
- Typical Chachapoya houses were circular, about 5m in diameter, built of worked or unworked stone with elevated entrances and two levels
- Gran Pajatén, inhabited since 200 BCE, contains 26 buildings with elaborate human and zoomorphic relief carvings and carved faces
- Gran Pajatén is located in the Río Abiseo National Park and was rediscovered by local farmers in the 1960s
Sources
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Chachapoyas sites of the Utcubamba Valleywhc.unesco.org
The wall in some places reaches up to 20 meters high, and forms two large terraces which divide the site. This wall was made by different ...
Chachapoya cultureen.wikipedia.org
Much of what is known about the Chachapoya culture is based on archaeological evidence from ruins, pottery, tombs, and other artifacts. Spanish chronicler ...
Landscapes of Above-Ground Tombs in the Chachapoya ...academia.edu
In the northeastern highlands of Peru, the Chachapoya people used above-ground tombs to place their dead. The Chachapoya were a collection of different ...
The Chachapoya Culture of Perunmarchaeology.org
Dwellings were carved into hills on solid clay and pebble bases and buttressed with half- moon-shaped stone and mortared walls. Thatched roofs ...
The Story of Peru's Cloud Warriorshistorytoday.com
The Chachapoya were famed for their weaving; their bright cloths with animalistic motifs were favoured garments of the Inca. Spanish colonial ...
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