RESIDENTIAL RECINTS F1

The excavated residential recints F1, were part of the Residential Complex located at the northern end of the urban center on a rocky promontory. The residential complex covered an area of 6,000 m2. The F1 residential enclosures cover 16 m from east to west and 21 m from north to south.

These are a group of areas remodeled in three construction periods. The recints were quadrangular and had different sizes, with benches, deposits and niches in the interior. They were connected with simple openings of high thresholds.

In all periods, the walls were built with cut stones and some boulders arranged in regular rows and joined with clay mortar mixed with grass and shellfish fragments. The walls were plastered and painted white.

Mills, wooden containers and stone points have been recovered, as well as sumptuary goods such as beads, pendants and a group of 102 pieces carved in wood and bone, in addition to consumption waste, such as marine and vegetable products, mixed with a great amount of ash.

Findings In Residential Recints F1

Carved bone and wood pieces with different designs.

Wooden container.

Findings

Outside a wall of the so-called High Room of the G1 Building, there is a frieze of two-headed snakes, reminiscent of the graffiti of the Major Pyramidal Building of the Sacred City of Caral. From the Initial Formative period, the snake seems to be an icon related to water and fertility.

In a later period, an underground burial T-shaped chamber was set up in the frieze recint, where a burial was later found.

Economic Aspects

Inhabitants ate seafood including current chorito (Aulacomya ater), macha (Mesodesma donacium), mussels (Semimytilus algosus), and (Perumytilus purpuratus) and zapato mussels (Choromytilus chorus). The presence of palabritas (Donax obesulus) in the larger buildings show there were ceremonies related to climatic changes and its effects on marine resources.

Fish remains have also been recovered: anchovy (Engraulis ringens), sardine (Sardinops sagax), machete (Ethmidium maculatum), lorna (Sciaena deliciosa) and lisa (Mugil cephalus). The quantities of machete, lorna and lisa are almost equal to those of anchovies and sardines, as opposed to the numerical difference during the Initial Formative period.

The polychrome sculpture of a fierce-looking individual, climbed on a tree, was recovered in the oldest part of Building A5.

A second fragment of sculpture was recovered in the rear recint of Building A2. It is part of a head and right arm of an individual wielding a tool, in a posture reminiscent of one of the friezes found in Vichama. The figurine’s skin is orange and the nails are black.

The collection of species from the rocks of the coast is evidenced in the remains of chiton (fam. Polyplacophora), lapa (Fissurella maximum), limpet (Fissurella crassa), and (Fissurella limbata), sea snail (Concholepas concholepas), ancoco (fam. Holothuroidea), sea urchin (Echinoidea family) and crab (fam. Crustacea). Snails were collected from the hills (Sculatus sp.).

Vegetables included: guava (Psidium guajava), aji pepper (Capsicum sp.), lucuma (Pouteria lucuma), avocado (Persea americana) and pacae (Inga feuillei). Whit cotton fi- ber (Gossypium barbadense) they made fabrics and fishing nets.

Totora and reed were extracted from the wetlands.