Kunturwasi

February 15, 2008

High in the hills above the Rio Jequetepeque valley that leads from the northern Peruvian coast into the mountains of Cajamarca, is a temple named Kuntur Wasi, the House of the Condor. Looking out over a vast area from its mountain top perch, from this ancient temple you can survey an area as vast as a condor could.

Guarding the top of the stairs

5km out of the town of San Pablo are the ruins of Kunturwasi, a religious complex almost 3000 years old. It sits in the valley that was the main thoroughfare between the northern coast and mountains, making it an important site for it’s ancient constructors and visitors.

The hilltop temple is built upon a series of platforms, with huge steps leading up to the main plaza. At about 12m high, this plaza is instantly recognisable to anyone who has seen any Chavín-era ruins. The sunken plaza is almost identical to that of the hugely influential Chavín culture who formed what many believe to be the first real Andean empire. The sunken plaza displays the same channel work that was designed to fill the plaza with water for ceremonial purposes. These channels go off to connect to a complex water system that directs water in various directions along parts of the platform’s main face.

Also recognisable as Chavín-influenced are the beautiful carved monoliths  (lithosculptures) representing deities. These are dotted around the complex and some are in very good condition.

The ruins were first investigated in 1945 by Julio C. Tello who confirmed a Chavin link. But it wasn’t until 1989 that more extensive work was carried out, thanks to a project led by Yoshio Onuki of the University of Tokyo. His team carried out mass-excavations discovering various layers in the platforms from different periods of inhabitance. Many objects of gold and rare shells were found, as were more rock carvings and ceremonial objects. Many were very similar to Chavin finds. Tombs were found in the platforms, and with them many funerary objects including gold crowns, necklaces, and trophies. Most of these items are now displayed in the local museum outside of town and below the ruins (opposite the comiseria).

Photos –

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Comments (5)

  1. [...] in ruins, and overgrown with shrubs, what we do know that it was constructed in the same time as Kunturwasi by the same pre-Inca culture, with Tantarica being more of a centre of population than only a place [...]

  2. [...] the work done over past decades at another ancient site investigated by the Japanese, the site of Kuntur Wasi, it is now estimated that from the middle of what is called the Formative Period, a group of elite [...]

  3. [...] Sunken circular plaza’s are a recurring theme in Peru’s most ancient history. They were found in the ruins of Caral, an ancient civilisation of the coastal regions. They were found much later in the sites of the Chavín. Circular plaza’s then became square, still sunken, and this carried on throughout the ages. [...]

  4. [...] Cajamarca (Cajamarca Department): A pretty Spanish colonial town set amid gorgeous mountains, ingenious ancient aqueducts, and Inca hot springs, Cajamarca is renowned for its carnival celebrations. It’s also the place where the Inca empire came to a swift end when the emperor met with the newly arrived Spanish for the first time. Travel out a bit further and find some spectacular nature, ancient rock-face tombs and a forgotten city from the age of the Chavín and its mysterious stone monoliths. [...]

  5. [...] our journey was only half done and it was almost 1pm. If were were going to make it to the ruins of Kunturwasi and back to Cajamarca before nightfall we would have to keep going. We would have to try to find [...]

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Categories: Archaeology, Cajamarca Guide