Tumshukayko

Tumshukayko is a pre-Inca archaeological site near Caraz in the Ancash Region of Peru, dating back approximately 5,500 years, making it among the oldest temples in the central Andes. The site features a 50-meter-high ceremonial platform constructed from massive curved walls of volcanic stone and granite, with a monumental staircase oriented toward the Cordillera Blanca. Stone heads (cabezas clavas) and triangular stones suggest connections to the early Chavin culture. Italian-Peruvian teams excavating since 2021 have uncovered ritual and sacrificial contexts, with evidence the temple functioned as a shrine to the Jirkas, the sacred mountains in Quechua cosmology.