It is one of the first circular plazas in Andean South America. It shows monumental megalithic architecture. Where was it? The ancient plaza discovered in Peru appeared in the Cajamarca basin, in northern Peru.
It is located in the archaeological site of Callacpuma. The plaza is built with large megalithic stones placed vertically. It is a construction method never before seen in the Andes. University of Wyoning associate professor Jason Toohey is the project leader. He, along with Professor Melissa Murphy, have directed the excavations in the plaza carried out since 2018. His findings are published in the journal Science Advances.
Almost 5 thousand years
Radiocarbon dating places its initial construction around 4,750 years ago during the Late Preceramic Period. It is one of the first examples of this type of architecture in America.
To better understand this timeline, the team carefully excavated within the plaza. They found artifacts related to life in the past and collected charcoal samples to date them. All material remains were cleaned, processed and analyzed in the laboratory.
«This structure was built approximately 100 years before the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Almost at the same time as Stonehenge,” says Toohey in a statement.
These dates mean that the circular plaza of Callacpuma is the oldest known example of monumental and megalithic architecture in the Cajamarca Valley. And it is one of the first examples of ancient Peru.
Concentric walls
«It was probably a meeting place and ceremonial place. Some of the first people who lived in this part of the Cajamarca Valley came here,” adds Toohey. «These people lived a lifestyle mainly of hunting and gathering. “They had probably recently started farming and domesticating animals.”
The ancient plaza discovered in Peru is made up of two concentric walls and measures about 20 meters in diameter. In the next excavations it is expected to find more remains that provide new clues about this culture.
