March 15, 2023
The complex has a D-shape temple on a large, monumental platform next to housing structures for officials and people linked to the Wari empire. It was strategically chosen, being between the Andean highlands and coastal valleys of Arequipa and along a prehistoric transit route with ecological and political advantages.
The pre-Inca Wari culture spanned from the 6th-10th centuries.
“Open plaza spaces like this would have allowed local communities to participate in ritual gatherings organized by the Wari,” University of Illinois Chicago postdoctoral researcher David Reid said in a statement.
Reid, who also led the study, said these ritual events “would have been critical in maintaining political authority across great distances of the Wari Empire.”
The Wari built other D-shape Wari temples that have recently been found across Peru, providing greater clarity on how the empire expanded and influenced life across the country.
The research was published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. News of the discovery was first reported by the Art Newspaper.
Artnews.com has the report here;
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-discover-ancient-wari-ritual-complex-pakaytambo-southern-peru-1234658747/
Mike Ruggeri’s Moche/Wari Era Peru
http://mikeruggerismoche.tumblr.com
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