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8/11/2019 Architecture and Chronology at the Site of Sechn Alto,
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Architecture and Chronology at the Site of Sechn Alto, Casma Valley, Peru
Author(s): Thomas Pozorski and Shelia PozorskiSource: Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer, 2005), pp. 143-161Published by: Boston UniversityStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40024939
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8/11/2019 Architecture and Chronology at the Site of Sechn Alto,
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Architecture
and
Chronology
at the
Site
of Sechin Alto, Casma Valley,Peru
Thomas
Pozorski
Shelia
Pozorski
University
of Texas-PanAmerican
Edinburg,
Texas
TheInitial
Period,
between
150
and 1000
cal
B.C.,
was
a eritical ime in the
development
of
civilization
within
theAndean
area
of
South
America.About 2100
cal
B.C.,
within sev-
eral
river
valleys long
the north-central
oast
of
Peru,
sudden
changes
occurredn subsis-
tence,
ettlement
pattern,
and
level
of
cultural
complexity.
hese
changes
were
especially
notablewithintheCasmaValleywhere aborwasmobilizedo buildlarge lat-topped yra-
midsand
plaza
systems
hat
occupied
he centers
oflarge
cities.Thesite
of
Sechin
Alto,
with
an
estimated
population
of
18,000,
is the
largest
nitial Period ite in
the
Casma
Valley
n
thenorth-central
oast
of
Peru. Our
research as
shown
hat
successive
changes
n the con-
struction
nd
use
of
the
main SechinAlto mound
can
be
used o document he riseand
fall
of
a state-level
nitial
Period
polity.
We
illustrate
his
development
y
describing
he chrono-
logical equenceor
the main mound
of
Sechin
Alto,
the site's
relationship
with
other ites
within
the
Casma
Valley
rea,
and the reuse
and abandonment
of
the site
during
the
Early
Horizon
(1000-200
cal
B.C.).
These
features
of
what
may
be the
earliestAndean
state
provide
ritical
comparative
ata
for
scholars
of
societal
development
orldwide.
143
Introduction
The Initial
Period
(2150-1000
cal
B.C.)
in ancient
Peru
witnessed
rapid
andfundamental
changes
in the
lifestyle
of
the
inhabitants
of
the north and central
coasts. Our field-
work
at
earlier Cotton
Preceramic
(3000-2150
cal
B.C.)
sites
in the Casma
Valley
area,
as well as
published
results
of
recent fieldwork
in the
Supe-Pativilca-Fortaleza
area
south of Casma
(Haas,
Creamer,
and
Ruiz
2004,
2005;
Shady
1997;
Shady,
Haas,
and Creamer
2001),
have doc-
umented
preceramicprecedents
for
the monumental
archi-
tecture
that
arose further
inland within the Casma
Valley.
Essential
architectural
lements such as
bilateral
symmetry
and
balance,
mound
building,
and
specific
mound and
plaza
structure
types
at some
prepottery
sites
presage
later
Initial
Period
developments.
Nevertheless,
these
preceram-
ic
antecedents
are dwarfed
by
their
early
ceramic
succes-
sors,
especially
the Sechin
Alto
polity
within the Casma
Valley.
The
successiveconstruction
and use
phases
of the
largest
mound within
the
Sechin
Alto
polity
reveal
key
elements of
the rise and
fall
of an Initial
Period state. When
these de-
velopments
are
put
in a
larger
context,
the
polity
is
revealed
as a
collection
of sites with
complementary
roles
that form
a cohesive whole. A sizeable labor force was mobilized
from a
large population
to create and maintain sites that
adhered
to strict architectural
anons.
Among
these
sites,
a
five-tier
hierarchy
can be
distinguished, ranging
from
small
coastal
fishing
satellites to Sechin Alto
site,
the
polity cap-
ital. Persistence of architecturalelements and site
layout
through
time and
space argue
for
hegemony
across
many
generations. Specific
architecturalcontexts and associated
artifacts
argue
that a
distinctive architectural
form,
the
square-room
unit,
functioned
simultaneously
as a
structure
type
and
an emblem of
authority.
In
the absence of
metal-
lurgy
and well-
developed
ceramic
and textile
technologies,
Sechin
Alto
polity
leaders manifested
conspicuous
con-
sumption,
ideology,
and
artistic
achievement
through
monumental construction that featured modular
units,
precision
in
layout,
and
polychrome
friezes. This
powerful
polity, possibly
the earliestAndean
state,
declined about
1400 cal B.C. because
of the
combined effects of internal
conflict
and
a severe El
Nino
event.
At the
beginning
of the Initial
Period,
the full
potential
of
irrigation agriculture
was
realized;
and this
innovation,
along
with
the
concepts
of
pottery-making
and true weav-
ing,
spread along
much of the Peruviancoast. The
majori-
ty
of the
existing
coastal
populations
relocated severalkilo-
-
8/11/2019 Architecture and Chronology at the Site of Sechn Alto,
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144
Architecture
nd
Chronology
t Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
nd Pozorski
Figure
1.
Map
of the Casma
Valley
area
showing
the location of
early
sites.
meters
inland to
optimal places
to
practice
irrigation
agri-
culture that
supplied
a
reliable
and
expandable
food
base
(Burger
1992;
Morris and von
Hagen
1993;
Moseley
1992;
Richardson
1994).
Within a
few
generations,
large
settlements
served
as
centers
of substantial
polities
with
growing populations
that were
socially,
economically,
and
politically
complex.
The
largest
settlements
within the
Cas-
ma
Valley
are the
Sechin Alto
Complex,
a
group
of four re-
lated sites that
dominated the
Sechin
River,
and
Pampa
de
las
Llamas-Moxeke,
the
largest
site on
the Casma River
(figs. 1-3).These sites were further inked with a
group
of
coastal
sites
that
supplied
vital
marine
protein
(Pozorski
and Pozorski
1987,
1991).
The
InitialPeriod
within the
Casma
Valley
area s char-
acterized
by
two
developments
which
we
designate
as
the
Moxeke and
Las Haldas
cultures.
The Moxeke Culture is
most
relevant
because t
culminated
n the
Sechin Alto
poli-
ty
and construction
of Sechin Alto
site;
it was
defined at
Pampa
de las
Llamas-Moxeke
and it is
characterized
by
ce-
ramic
forms of
neckless
jars
decorated
predominantly by
deep
gouges
on the vessel shoulder
(fig. 4)
as
well
as
ce-
ramic
figurines,
stone bowls or
mortars,
and
a
distinct
modular architectural orm known as the square-roomunit
which
had
an
administrative function
(Pozorski
and Po-
zorski
1986,
1994).
The Moxeke Culture is also known
from the
inland Sechin
Alto
Complex
sites
of
Sechin
Alto,
Sechin
Bajo,
Cerro
Sechin,
and Taukachi-Konkan s well
as
the coastal
sites of Bahia
Seca,
Tortugas,
and
Huaynuna
(Pozorski
and Pozorski
1992,
2002).
The decline of the
Sechin Alto
polity
near the
end
of the
Initial
Period allowed the
people
of the
Las
Haldas Culture
to intrude into
Sechin
Alto
territory
and
construct an ad-
ministrative
outpost
at Sechin Alto. This culture was ini-
tially
defined
at
Las Haldas on the basis of ceramics. Small
punctations,
often in zoned
patterns,
on bottles
predomi-
nate (fig. 5), and there is a
greater
proportion
of decorat-
ed ceramicswithin the Las Haldas
Culture
compared
to the
Moxeke
Culture
(Pozorski
and Pozorski
1987).
Addition-
al architectural raits such as shared-wall
construction,
less
use
of rounded
corners,
and
rear- riented access further
distinguish
the Las
Haldas Culture
from the Moxeke Cul-
ture. Las
Haldas
cultural material has been found at Bahia
Seca
on
the coast and at the
Sechin
Alto
Complex
sites of
Sechin
Alto
and Taukachi-Konkan.
Sechin Alto site was
heavily occupied during
the
subse-
quent
Early
Horizon,
a time of marked
change
in subsis-
tence,
artifacts,
and settlement
pattern
with
a
stronger
in-
land
orientation.
The Initial
Period
emphasis
on immense
platform
mounds,
rigid
site
planning,
and bilateral site
symmetry
gave
way
to
villages
where room and
courtyard
complexes
have varied orientations.
Early
Horizon
squat-
ters
treated
the
main
mound
as if it
were
a hill and con-
structed a
village
on its summit.
Maize, camelids,
and
guinea
pigs
were added to the subsistence
inventory,
and
new
artifacts
appeared, ncluding panpipes
and slate
points
(fig.
6).
The
new ceramics are also distinctive because
of
their exterior
decoration
including
textile
impressions,
zoned
gray
or
white
paint,
and
stamped
circles and dots
(fig. 7).
Later cultural
developments
within the Casma
Valley
had
little
impact
on Sechin Alto site.
Brief reoccu-
pations
were
represented only by
intrusive
burials and oc-
casional
dry-laid
stone rooms.
SechinAlto Site
The Initial
Period
site of
Sechin
Alto,
located
on the
Sechin River branch of the
Casma
Valley,
is
part
of a 10.5
sq
km
group
of sites
known
as the
Sechin
Alto
Complex
(figs.
1-3).
Of the four sites that make
up
the
complex-
Sechin
Alto,
Sechin
Bajo,
Cerro
Sechin,
and
Taukachi-
Konkan-
Sechin
Alto is
by
far the
largest
(Pozorski
and
Pozorski
1987:
82,
2002:
21).
The main mound of Sechin
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8/11/2019 Architecture and Chronology at the Site of Sechn Alto,
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Journal
ofField
Archaeology
Vol
30,
2005
145
Figure
2.
View
of the
main
mound
of
Sechin
Alto from the east.
Alto is300x250m and 35
m in
height
and
is
the
largest
mound construction
for its time
period
in the
New World.
Four
large
rectangularplazas
demarcated
by
massive stone
walls
and smaller
stone
mounds extend
almost
1200
m
east
from
the main mound. There are also two sunken circular
plazas,
one
in the
second
rectangularplaza
and
one in the
fourth
rectangularplaza.
The
general
configuration
of the
mound includes
a cen-
tral staircase hat leads from a lower atrium flanked
by
10
m
high wings
to an
upper
atrium, which is also bordered
by wings
on the north and south and
by
the mound sum-
mit to the west
(fig. 8).
Between
the
lower and
upper
atria
there is an increase
n
elevation
of about
11.5 m.
A
second
long
staircase eads
to the mound summit at an
elevation
some 12.75
m
above
the
upper
atrium floor. Most con-
struction is of stones
quarried
rom
nearby
hillsides and set
in
silty clay
mortar. A
solid
rectangular
core
made of
cone-shaped
adobe
bricks
held
in
place
by silty clay
mortar
and
measuring
some
90
m
n-s
by
30
m
e-w and
9
m in
height occupies
the
center of the mound
summit.
Conical
adobe brickswere also
occasionally
used to
construct stair-
cases
and the
upper portions
of
stone
walls.
Previous
Investigations
Surface
survey
of Sechin Alto site was
undertaken
over
the
past
65
years
(Fung
and Williams
1977:
116-120;
Kosok 1965:
214-215;
Tello
1956:
79-82;
Thompson
1962:
294)
and Collier
excavated two test
pits
there in
1956 (Collier1962:
411).
Most
investigators agreed
on an
early
date
for
the site
based
on
the form
and
layout
of its
surface
architecture
and
the
small
amount of
cultural ma-
terial
excavated
by
Collier.
Current
Investigations
Eight
field seasons
(1995-2002)
of
excavation
support-
ed the
early
dating,
and led us to
assign
the
bulk of Sechin
Alto
mound construction to
the Initial
Period
(table
i).
The
general
form of
the main
mound
clearly
indicates an
-
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146
Architecture nd
Chronology
t Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
nd Pozorski
Figure
3. Plan
of the
Sechin Alto
Complex showing
the
location of its four
component
sites,
Cerro
Sechin,
Taukachi-Konkan,
echin
Bajo,
and Sechin Alto
as well as
A)
the south
wing
of the first
plaza
east of the main
mound,
and
B)
the domestic area of Sechin Alto.
Initial
Period
construction,
but most architectural
detail re-
lated to that
construction is
unclear. The main
difficulty
stems from a
major
Early
Horizon
(1000-200
cal
B.C.)
re-
occupation
of
the
mound summit after a
hiatus in
occupa-
tion of
about
500
years.
These
new
occupants
left volumi-
nous
midden
deposits
as
well as structures built
with ma-
terialtaken from the earlierInitialPeriodconstructions.
Our
excavations at
Sechin Alto focused on
the delin-
eation
of
access
patterns
(staircases
and
entrances)
of the
InitialPeriod
architecture,
stratigraphic
excavation of
por-
tions
of the
mound
to
establish
chronological
controls,
de-
tailed examination
of
specific
areas o obtain
functional in-
formation
pertaining
to
the Initial Period
occupation,
and
horizontal
clearing
of some
Early
Horizon
architecture o
better
understand that
reoccupation.
These
excavations
were
accomplished
in
eight
10-week
field seasons
with the
aid
of
a Peruvian
codirector,
2
to 4
students,
and 7
to
20
Peruvianworkmen each season.
Excavation
units
were
2 m
squares,
and
earth
moving
was
accomplished using
picks,
shovels,
and trowels. Excavated material within 10 cm of
floors
and within features was screened
through
1/4
inch
screen,
representative amples
were screened
through
#10
and #25
geological
soil
screens,
and
pollen
and radiocar-
bon
samples
were collected from
appropriate
contexts.
Workmen
readily
carried
stones
weighing
up
to 130
kg;
larger
stones
were moved
using ropes
and/or
solid
poles
as
rollers or
skids.
Moving
the
largest
stone
required
16
workmen.
Chronological Sequence
at Sechin
Alto
Six
phases
of construction and
occupation
were docu-
mented. Construction of the mound took
place during
the
-
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Journal
of
Field
Archaeology
Vol.
30,
2005 147
Figure
4. Decorated
pottery
from the Moxeke
Phase of Sechin Alto
also
found
at
Pampa
de
las Llamas-Moxeke.
Scale is cm.
Figure
5.
Decorated
pottery
from the Haldas
Phase of
Sechin
Alto. It is also found at Las Haldas.
Scale
is cm.
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148 Architecture
nd
Chronology
t
Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
nd
Pozorski
Figure
6. Polished slate
points
from the
Early
Horizon
reoccupation
of
Sechin
Alto,
also found at
San
Diego
and
Pampa
Rosario.
Figure
7.
Pottery
from the
Early
Horizon
reoccupation
of Sechin
Alto,
also
found at San
Diego
and
Pampa
Rosario.
Moxeke Phase which
spanned
most of
the Initial Period
and can be
subdivided
into Moxeke Phases
A
and
B be-
cause two
major
construction
episodes
are
clearly
evident
(there
is no discernible
change
in
associated
artifacts).
Ra-
diocarbon dates
suggest approximate
time
spans
of 2150-
1500
cal
B.C.and 1500-1400 cal B.C.
respectively
or these
subphases.
The remainderof the Initial
Period,
from about
1400
to
1000
cal
B.C.,
has been
designated
the Haldas
Phase to
distinguish
a
new cultural
presence.
These Initial
Period construction
phases
are followed
by
the
Early
Hori-
zon
reoccupation
as well as later Middle
Horizon and
Transitional eriod
ephemeral
uses of the mound.
MoxekePhase
The Moxeke Phase as
a
whole
can be
dated
to
between
2150 and 1400 cal B.C.
based
on radiocarbon dates
from
Pampa
de las
Llamas-Moxeke,Taukachi-Konkan,
Bahia
Se-
ca,
and
Cerro
Sechin. Sechin Alto site dates
fall near the
end of this
phase,
between 1600 and 1400 cal B.C.
(table
i),
reflecting
the
fact that our excavationswere confined
to
the
upper
half of the mound. Moxeke Phase
ceramics
were
found in association
with Moxeke
Phase A
architecture,
n
the
overlying
construction and
fill
pertaining
to Moxeke
Phase
B,
and
within
a
domestic
area
n the se
corner
of the
Sechin
Alto
Complex
(fig. 3B).
Architecture
dating
to
Moxeke Phase
A
was
exposed
in four areasof the
main
mound:
the conical
core,
the
depression
east
of the adobe
core,
the north
wing
of the
upper
atrium,
and the lowest
segment
of the
central staircase.
Moxeke
Phase
B architec-
ture was
exposed
on the mound
summit,
both
wings
of the
upper
atrium,
and
on an intermediate-sized
mound
bor-
dering
the first
plaza.
MOXEKE
PHASE A
Moxeke
Phase
A,
the
earliest
period
of
occupation
yet
identified
at
Sechin
Alto,
saw
the
building
of a
significant
portion
of the main
mound,
possibly
as
much
as
two-thirds
of its
2,000,000
cu
m final volume.
The adobe
core was
likely
the
tallest
part
of the
mound summit
at this
time
(fig. 8a-c).
It was
originally
a solid construction
standing
at least 9 m above
the
adjacent
mound
surface.
Excavation
of an
intact
portion
of the west
side
(fig.
8c)
revealed
that
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2005
149
Figure
8.
Plan
of the main
mound of the Sechin
Alto site
showing:
A)
North
end
of the
adobe
core;
B)
East
exterior
face of the adobe
core;
C)
West
exterior
face of the adobe
core;
D)
Deep depression
east
of the
adobe
core;
E)
North
wing
of the
upper
atrium;
F)
Staircase
system
between the lower
atrium and the
upper
atrium;
G)
Corridor
leading
to the summit of
the
adobe
core;
H)
Summit
room;
I)
Staircase
system
between
the
upper
atrium and the summit
room;
J)
South
wing
of the
upper
atrium;
K)
Early
Horizon
architecture
on the
mound
summit.
the 9
m
height
included both
a bench
which is 3.5 m tall
and4.7
m wide
and
the
5.5
m tall wall
segment
above the
bench. Traces
of
square
columns
were
found at the adobe
core's nw and ne corners.
Polychrome
friezes decorate
remnants
of three columns
in
the nw
corner.
Each frieze
is
distinct,
but
not
enough
remainsto determine
precise
mo-
tifs.
Two
samples
of wood
from
postholes
within
the
columns
yielded
dates
of 1540
60 and 1410
55 cal
B.C.
(table
i).
We
believe
these
square
column remnants
were
part
of two
long
colonnades,
perhaps
containing
as
many
as 45
columns
each,
which
lined
the east
and west
sides of
the adobe
core surface
(fig. 8).
East of
the adobe
core
a 15
m
deep depression
facilitat-
ed excavation
of a
pair
of
partiallypreserved
rooms
associ-
atedwith
Pampa
de las
Llamas Moxeke
type pottery
(figs.
8b, 8d,
9).
One of these is a
square-room
unit,
a modular
building
form
composed
of a
square
room with round ex-
terior corners
that
denotes administrative
architecture at
Pampa
de
las Llamas-Moxeke and Taukachi-Konkan
Po-
zorski and
Pozorski
1994:
53).
The
square-room
unit at
Sechin Alto rests on a
platform
made
of conical
adobe
bricks that standsat least 5 m above a floor that
appears
o
be
part
of a small
courtyard
or
open
area.
Charcoal from
this
floor
yielded
a date of 1510
60 cal B.C.
(table i).
Moxeke
Phase A architecture
was
also
discovered with-
in the
wing
north of the
upper
atrium
(fig. 8e).
A
3
m
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9/20
150 Architecture
and
Chronology
at Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
and
Pozorski
Table
1.
Radiocarbon
dates from the site
of
Sechin
Alto.
Sample
no. Radiocarbon Uncalibrated Calibrated
*
Material
Archaeological
ontext
yearsb.p
date b.c.
date
B.C.
dated
Beta-172352 3320
60 1370
60 1610
80
totorn eed
Roofing
material found
on floor of
a narrow
corridor east
of the adobe
core,
matting
Moxeke Phase
B
Beta-110593
3300
50 1350
50 1540
60 wood Within
a
posthole
in a column
in the
ne corner of the adobe
core,
Moxeke
Phase A
Beta-110592
3240
60
1290
60 1510
60 charcoal Within 10
cm of floor
of
deep
room
east
of adobe
core,
Moxeke
Phase
A
Beta-138056 3240
50 1290
50
1510
55 wood
Within
a
pilaster
of an entrance n the
wing
structure
north of
the
upper-
atrium,
Haldas
Phase
Beta-124948
3240
60
1290
60 1510
60
charcoal
Within
Sq.
2,
level
15,
domestic area
n
se
corner
of
Sechin
Alto
Complex,
Moxeke
Phase
B
Beta-150768 3220
60 1270
60 1500
55
charcoal Within
fill 85-145
cm
below surface
of Initial Period
gray
plaster
floor
in
and wood
wing
structure
north of
the
upper
atrium,
Moxeke
Phase B
Beta-150766
3170
60 1220
60
1430
50 wood Within
a
pilaster
of an entrance
n the
wing
structure
north of the
upper
atrium,
Haldas Phase
Beta-138058
3160
60 1210
60
1425
50
charcoal Within a hearth
near floor
of Haldas
Phase
rooms in
wing
structure
north
of
the
upper
atrium
Beta-124947
3150
60 1200
60
1420
35
charcoal Fill
material within 10 cm of
floor of
square-room
unit
on adobe
platform
within
deep
room,
Moxeke
Phase B
Beta-124945
3140
60 1190
60
1410
55 wood
Within
a
posthole
in column in the nw
corner of adobe
core,
Moxeke
Phase
A
Beta-150767 3110
70 1160
70 1400
70 wood Within
7
postholes
in
Initial Period
gray
floor in the
wing
structure
north
of
the
upper
atrium,
Moxeke Phase
B
Beta-164488 3090
70 1140
70 1390
70
charcoal Fill material
0-40 cm
below room
floor within
south
wing
of
first main
plaza
east of
main mound of Sechin
Alto,
Moxeke
Phase B
Beta-172353 3090
60 1140
60
1390
65 charcoal Fill
material 50-60
cm below corridor
floor,
in domestic
area n se corner
of
Sechin
Alto
Complex,
Haldas Phase
Beta-110594
3080
60 1130
60 1380
60
charcoal Within
Square
1,
level
18/19,
domestic
area
n se corner
of Sechin
Alto
Complex,
Moxeke
Phase B
Beta-138057 3050
70 1100
70
1305
95
wood
Post within corridor
in
wing
structurenorth of the
upper
atrium,
Haldas
Phase
Beta-124946 3040
60
1090
60 1295
95
charcoal
Fill material 1.5 m above the floor of the
square-room
unit on adobe
platform
within
deep
room,
Moxeke
Phase B
Beta-172354 3010
70 1060
70 1270
125
charcoal Fill material 0-30
cm below
floor
#4
of room
in south
wing
of first
main
plaza
east of main
mound,
Sechin
Alto,
Moxeke
Phase
B
Beta-172351 3000
60 1050
60 1260
115
junco
plantWithin
a column hole
of a room within
the
wing
south of the
upper
fiber
rope
atrium,
Moxeke Phase B
Beta-138059 2930
60 980
60 1120
110 charcoal Within
an intrusive hearth located
above
Haldas Phase
architecture
n
wing
structurenorth of the
upper
atrium
Beta-150765 2860
60
910
60 1010
90 wood
East
post
of main south entrance
n the
wing
structurenorth
of the
upper
atrium,
late Haldas
Phase
Beta-16448 7 2760
60 810
60 900
70
charcoal
Within
an
intrusive
hearth
on low
platform
in south
wing
of first
main
plaza
east of
main
mound,
Sechin
Alto,
late Haldas
Phase
Beta-110591
2210
60 260
60
290
70 charcoal Within
an intrusive
hearth in
Early
Horizon midden
layer
overlying
Moxeke
Phase B architecture
east of the east
end of the
upper
atrium
Beta-150769 2110
60 160
60 160
75 charcoal Within
intrusive hearth
overlying
Haldas
Phase
architecture
n
wing
structure
north of
upper
atrium
*
Periods in this
paper
are based on calibratedradiocarbondates
(Stuiver
et al.
1998).
wide staircase
system
made
largely
of conical adobe bricks
partially
underlies a
large
room block associated with Las
Haldas
type pottery
(fig. io).
The south
portion
of the
staircase eads north from the
upper
atrium
up
to a land-
ing.
At the north end of the
landing
the staircasedescends
to a
well-preserved plaster
floor
that forms
part
of
a
large
room
or
courtyard.
The northern
end of
this staircase
and
associated
room are covered
by
3.75
m of
rocky
construc-
tion fill
dating
to Moxeke
Phase
B,
upon
which rests
the
later Haldas
Phase
construction.
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Journal
of
Field
Archaeology
/Vol.
30,
2005
151
Figure
9.
View
from the sw of the buried Moxeke Phase A
adobe
platform
supporting
remains of a
square-room
unit and a
rectangular
room.
Two
staircase
systems currently
ascend
the east face of
the
main mound
along
its centralaxis.
Only
the
lower
stair-
case
system, rising
from the lower to the
upper
atrium
(fig.
8f),
was in use
during
Moxeke Phase A. Two con-
struction
phases
are evident in this staircaseand
they likely
pertain
to Moxeke PhasesA
and
B. A short
segment
of
the
earlier staircase was
exposed
at the bottom of the
lower
staircase
system
where four of its
steps
extend east
beyond
the west wall of the lower atrium.
Higher up,
this staircase
was
inset,
and
its size
and
configuration
were
very proba-
bly
like the
Moxeke Phase B staircase
hat
currently
over-
lies it.
MOXEKE PHASE
B
The main
mound
and its associated four
rectangular
plazas
and two sunken circular
plazas
attained their
present
configuration
during
Moxeke Phase B. Evidence of Mox-
eke Phase B
construction
was
exposed
in the adobe core
area,
the
summit
room,
the central
staircase,
and the north
and south
wings
of the
upper
atrium. Moxeke
Phase B ar-
chitecture
was also
encountered
during
excavation of a
small
mound
bordering
the first
plaza
(fig.
3A),
and the
midden
and residential architecture
o the se also
probably
date to this
phase
(fig.
3B).
The adobe core continued to be used
during
Moxeke
Phase
B
when
all
four sides were
surrounded and covered
by
stone
and
mud
fill
which raised the
height
of much of
the
mound some 9
m,
up
to the
height
of the
adobe core
surface.The
few
diagnostic
ceramics
found
in
this fill
were
all
Moxeke
Phase,
and two
dates
for
the
construction
fill
of
1420
35 and
1295
95
cal B.C.
were crucial in
dating
the
upper
construction
fill
of the
mound to Moxeke Phase
B
(table 1).
These dates establish a
lower
bracketing
date
for the Initial
Period architecture
built on the fill.
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Architecture nd
Chronology
t Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
nd Pozorski
Figure
10. Plan of the
Haldas Phase
Initial Period
architectureon the
wing
structure of the
upper
atrium.
Recent
excavations
revealed a
relatively
intact stone-
lined
corridor
(fig.
8g)
that
connects the
top
of the
adobe
core with
the
summit room
(fig. 8h).
The
corridor,
mea-
suring
1.25
m
wide with
side walls
standing
2.5
m,
re-
stricted
access to the
top
of the
adobe core
during
this
phase.
Roofing
materialrecovered from the
floor of the
corridor
yielded
a date of
1610
80 cal
B.C.
(table i).
We
believe the
adobe core
was
originally
a
solid
construction
that
supported
a
long rectangular
surface bordered
by
friezed
colonnades.
This
layout
and
iconography, coupled
with
the
restrictedaccessto the
area,
suggests strongly
that
this zone
served as a ritual
precinct
at the
center of the
main
mound
during
both Moxeke
phases.
The summit room
was
constructed
during
Moxeke
Phase B
upon
fill
that also
dates to this
phase.
It is
50
m
n-s
by
25 m
e-w
(fig.
8h),
and its walls are
made of un-
usually
large (up
to
1.6
x
by
0.9
m)
quarried
stones set in
silty
clay
mortar.The
walls arealmost 5 m
thick
and stood
at least
10 m
high.
The summit room
has a 5 m
wide en-
trance in its east
wall that
aligns
with the central
staircase
system
of the
mound. Numerous
painted
frieze
fragments
(red,
yellow,
black, blue,
gray, green,
and
white)
were
found
in
the wall fall east of the summit
room,
revealing
that the east face of the summit room was
once
decorated
with
polychrome
friezes.
The central staircase
system
consists of two
separate
staircases hat
ascend the
east face of the main mound. One
rises from the lower atrium to the
upper
atrium
(fig. 8f)
and
the
second rises from the
upper
atrium to the entrance
of the summit room. Initial construction of the lower
stair-
case was
completed during
Moxeke Phase
A,
and
during
Moxeke Phase B the
lower
atrium floor was raised2.2
m,
covering part
of the first staircaseand
providing
the start-
ing
level
for
the
overlying
staircase.Excavations
of the low-
er staircase
(figs.
8f,
iia)
revealed 39
steps, including
one
landing
area
and
one
bench,
totaling
11.5 m in elevation.
The first 26
steps
of the staircaseare 10.5
m
wide and
in-
set. The next three
steps
are 5 m wide and leadfrom aland-
ing up
to a bench. The final 10
steps
are 6.75
m
wide
and
inset into the east
edge
of the
upper
atrium.
The
upper
staircase
has
approximately
46
steps
and
rises almost 13 m
(fig.
8i,
iib).
This staircaseconsists
of
four
segments
that
vary
n
width.
All but the lowest was
ex-
posed by
excavation,
however this first staircase
segment
was
probably
about 5
m
wide, inset,
and contained
ap-
proximately
16
steps.
The second inset staircase
segment
that
leads
up
to a
wide
landing
is 5
m
wide and
contains
four
steps
(fig. iib).
The third
inset
segment
of this stair-
case
narrows as it ascends to the
upper landing.
The first
13
steps
measure 17
m
wide,
then the staircasenarrows
to
9
m in width for the last five
steps
(fig. iib). The fourth and
final
segment
consists
of a
5
m
wide
free-standing
staircase
of
eight steps
leading
from the
upper landing
to a bench
along
the east
wall
of
the summit room.
The
sides
of this
staircase
align
with the side walls of the east entrance o
the
summit room
(fig. iib).
Moxeke Phase ceramics were
re-
covered
during
excavation
of this
upper
staircase
and
the
stratigraphic position
of
the
staircase demonstrates
its
Moxeke Phase
B
date.
Architecture
exposed
in the south
wing
of the
upper
atrium was
assigned
to Moxeke Phase B because of its ar-
chitectural connection to the
upper
staircase
system
(fig.
8j).
Looting
in
this area resulted
in
heavy damage, leaving
only
scant remains of two rooms. The north room is
reached
from
the
upper
atrium
by way
of a 1.65 m wide
doorway.
Within this room a
square
bench contains four
column
holes,
each
measuring
about 35 cm in diameter
and
containing
the remains of column cores of cane
wrapped
in a
plant-fiber rope
of
junco (Scirpus p.)
These
columns
may
have
supported
a
roof,
creating
a
veranda
that
served as a
reception
area for visitors to the south
wing.
Junco
fiber
rope
remainsfrom one column hole were
dated
to
1260
115
cal
B.C.
(table i).
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Journal
of
Held
Archaeology
Vol.
30,
2005 153
Figure
11. Plan
of
the
main staircase
system.
A)
Staircase rom the lower
atrium to the
upper
atrium;
B)
Staircase
rom the
upper
atrium to the summit of the main mound.
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154
Architecture nd
Chronology
t
Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
nd
Pozorski
The second room is entered
from the east side
of the ve-
randa.
Here all that remains of a much
larger
room
is a
par-
tially preservedbench supporting a low, square platform
abutting
the main mound. South
of this
platform
is a col-
umn hole and a remnant of
protruding
plaster
that
may
be
the
remains of a frieze.
On the north
wing,
a
rough
floor of
gray silty
plasterup
to 12 cm thick covers the surface of the 3.75
m
deep
Mox-
eke Phase B fill of the Moxeke
Phase A room. Charcoaland
wood
in this fill
dated
to 1500
55
cal
B.C.
(table i).
The
fill
yielded
a
stylized
bird-head
pendant
of unidentified
green
stone,
but no
diagnostic
pottery.
Imbedded
in
the
gray
silt
floor is an
alignment
of seven small
postholes,
10-12 cm
in
diameter,
that were covered
by
later Haldas
Phase architecture.Wood
fragments
from these
postholes
were datedto 1400 70 cal B.C.(table i). Moxeke Phase
B
ended before
any
structures were built
on the north
wing.
Portions of two
rooms
forming
the south borderof the
first
plaza
have interior round
corners like most
square-
room
units
of the Moxeke Phase
(fig. 3A).
There is
also
ample gray
silt floor and wall
plaster
that matches the
Mox-
eke Phase
B
gray
silt floor of the
upper
atrium
north
wing,
and
Moxeke Phase sherds were recovered
in the excava-
tions. Dates of
1390
70 and 1270
125
cal
B.C.
(table
i)
from charcoal
recovered
from fill below the floor of one
of the rooms also
suggest
that these
structures date to
Moxeke Phase B.
Excavations
during
1995 and 2002 within a residential
area southeast of the main mound uncovered
ample
evi-
dence
of
midden and some structures
dating
to
the Mox-
eke Phase
(fig.
3B).
Only
Moxeke Phase
pottery
was re-
covered from these
excavations,
along
with
numerous
fig-
urine
fragments,
stone bowl or
mortar
fragments,
twined
and woven
textiles,
and abundant
subsistence remains.
Two radiocarbondates
of
1510
60
cal B.C. and 1380
60
cal
B.C.
(table i)
from
charcoal
recovered
during
mid-
den excavations
place
this
occupation
within
Moxeke
Phase B.
Haldas Phase
Both the Moxeke and Las Haldas cultural
developments
have
long
histories within the Casma
Valley
area. The ear-
liest dates for the Moxeke
occupation
come from the site
of
Pampa
de
las
Llamas-Moxeke,
which
was inhabited from
2080 to 1340 cal B.C.The Las Haldas
occupation
of the
Casma
Valley
area
is
dated to between 1925 and 1410
cal
B.C.
at the
coastal
site of Las
Haldas
(Pozorski
and
Pozors-
ki
1992:
table
2).
Thus,
the Moxeke
and
Las Haldas
Cul-
tures
appeared
at about the same time and coexisted for
several hundred
years.
There is no evidence of
significant
interactionbetween
the two
cultures,
however,
until about
1400
cal B.C. when
Las Haldas
ceramics
and
cultural
ma-
terialappearedwell north of Las Haldas.
The
Las Haldas Culture
expanded
northward
along
the
coast and inland
into
the Casma
Valley
during
the
Haldas
phase.
Haldas
Phase
building
activity
on the main Sechin
Alto mound occurs
mainly
on the
north
wing
above the
Moxeke
Phase
B
gray
silt floor where
a
large
room
and
smaller
room
block were
constructed
(fig.
8e).
The
large
room
is formed
by
a wall of
large
stones
that
borders
the
north
wing
on the
north,
east,
and
south.
Excavations
within
this room revealed
a
3.4
m wide south
doorway
in-
to a corridor
bordering
a
block
of
contiguous
stone
-walled
rooms
around a
small
courtyard
(fig.
8e,
io).
Entry
into
the
courtyard
complex
is
by
way
of
two
narrow
doorways
in the rear of the structureandthrough a smallroom (fig.
io).
Within
the
courtyard
a
central,
rectangular,
tone-lined
depression
(1.5
x
1.6
m)
contains an offset
circular
hearth
some 50
cm in diameter.Given
its
large
size and
prominent
position
within the
complex,
this
hearth
could reflect
a lo-
calized ritual
somewhat like
the ventilated
hearth structures
of the
Moxeke
Phase
(Pozorski
and
Pozorski
1996).
The
courtyard
and room
complex
superficially
resem-
bles the
layout
of
intermediate-sized
mounds
at
Pampa
de
las Llamas-Moxeke
(Pozorski
and Pozorski 1992:
fig.
8,
1994:
fig.
3);
however,
close
inspection
reveals
significant
differences.
There are
no modular
square-room
units;
in-
stead,
the Haldas Phase
rooms are
rectilinear
with
shared
walls and the main entranceis in the rear. Some continu-
ities with
earlier
architecturecan be
seen
in the use
of
round
corners,
raised
thresholds,
and
paired
pilasters
with-
in
doorways.
Las Haldas
type
ceramics were
recovered
from these
rooms,
the
surrounding
corridor,
and the
south
entrance.A solid ceramic
cylinder
seal from
one
room
is
similar
in form to
examples
associated
with
intermediate-
sized
mounds
at
Pampa
de las
Llamas-Moxeke
(Pozorski
and
Pozorski
1991:
fig.
8).
The seal and the
general
con-
figuration
of the room
complex suggest
its
primary
func-
tion was administrative.
Haldas
Phase
people
may
have at-
tempted
to simulate the
square-room
unit,
which
symbol-
ized
administrative unction
during
the
Moxeke
Phase,
as
a means of
signaling
their administrative
presence.
Four radiocarbon
dates come
from the
Haldas
Phase
construction on the
north
wing
(table i).
Two dates
of
1510
55
and 1430
50 cal B.C.
are from wooden
posts
within
entrance
pilasters
of the
courtyard/room
complex.
A third date of 1305
95
cal B.C. s
from a wooden
post
embedded
in the floor of the corridor
south
of the
court-
yard/room
complex.
With
two-sigma
standard
deviation,
these
three
dates
suggest
a date
of ca. 1400
cal B.C.as the
dividing
line
between
Moxeke
Phase B construction
and
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Journal
of
Field
Archaeolqgy/Vol.
0,
2005
155
later Haldas Phase construction.
A
fourth date of 1010
90
cal B.C.
from a
post
in the
south entrance of the stone
surroundingwall probablydates a late Haldas Phase mod-
ification
of the north
wing.
An
additional date
of 1
120
110
cal
B.C.
(table i)
is from an
intrusive
hearth
well
above
the floor level of the
courtyard/room complex
and
probably
represents
a
squatter presence
on the
mound
shortly
after the Haldas Phase ended.
Early
Horizon
The
Early
Horizon
occupation
is
ubiquitous
at Sechin
Alto site and
largely
obscured the
primary
construction
phases
on the main mound.
This
led one
investigator
to
misdate
the main construction and
occupation
of the site
(e.g.
Wilson 1995:
193,
1999:
369)
and
impeded
reliable
architecturalmapping of the site's Initial Period compo-
nents. The
map by
Donald
Collier
(Tello
1956:
fig.
41),
showing
a
regularly
aid
out,
symmetrical
mound,
is
based
more on
knowledge
of
typical
early55
ound
layout
than
actual evidence. Our
first
map
(Pozorski
and Pozorski
1987:
fig.
46)
takes
into
account
the
magnitude
of
Initial
Period construction evident in
major
level
changes
and
general
site
configuration
but does not
clearly
differentiate
between
Initial Period construction and later
Early
Hori-
zon alterations.
About 500 cal
B.C.,
people
moved
back
onto the
mound,
leveled
much of the Initial Period
architecture,
knocked down substantial
walls,
and converted much of
the summit into a level surfaceupon which to build mod-
est
rooms,
plazas, courtyards,
and
small,
free-standing
mounds.
These
new
settlers collected stones from
wall de-
bris
or
stripped
Initial Period wall
faces to
obtain con-
struction
material for use
in
their
buildings.
Several
deep
Initial Period
rooms on the mound
summit
were
initially
mistaken
for looters' holes
(Pozorski
and Pozorski
1987:
73)
because
facing
stones for the
walls and
fill
had been re-
moved.
Early
Horizon
mining
of the
adobe
core
for
silty
clay
to
recycle
into mortar and
plaster
has left a
large
cen-
tral
depression.
As
part
of this
process,
most of the
poly-
chrome friezes
of
the adobe
core
and
the main
summit
room were
destroyed.
A
cap
of 30 to 100 cm of brownish
midden that covers much of the mound summit is also at-
tributable
to this
Early
Horizon
occupation.
The
following
examples
reveal
the extent of
Early
Hori-
zon alterations
of the
surface
of the main
mound.
In
one
35
x
20
m area on the summit
(figs.
8k,
12)
there are two
courtyards,
hree raised
platforms
(1
to 2 m
high),
and
sev-
eral
rooms,
wall
segments,
and
benches.
Near
the main en-
trance to
the
summit
room
(fig.
8h),
remains of cane
and
mud houses
as
well
as stone houses
were
found
within
the
upper
strataof the
Early
Horizon midden.
Early
Horizon
people
razed the
taller Initial
Period
walls,
including
most of the
large
summit room
walls,
and
used the resultant oose materialto createa level surface as
well
as to
build their
own structures.Much of
this materi-
al
was moved to the
east,
initially
via the main
entrance of
the summit
room.
Then,
as material
accumulated,
addi-
tional construction
debris was
pushed
into the
inset
central
staircaseand over
associated
landings
(fig.
13).
In the
up-
per
atrium,
the inset
staircase
system
was
sealed
by
a 1.5 m
high
stone
wall
of
reused
stones. Rubble
behind this wall
leveled the
upper
atrium
by
filling
the staircase.
One date
of
290
70
cal
B.C.
(table i)
came
from an
Early
Hori-
zon hearth in the
midden
overlying
this fill
and
a
date of
160
75 cal
B.C.
(table i)
came from a
second intrusive
hearth
overlying
Haldas Phase
architecture in the north
wing of the upper atrium.
Middle
Horizon
and
Transitional eriod
Post-Early
Horizon
occupations
of the main
mound
are
ephemeral.
Surprisingly,
almost no Casma
Incised ceram-
ics
have been found at the site. The
Middle Horizon
(a.d.
600-1000)
and the
Transitional
Period,
the
poorly-
known transition
between
the
Middle Horizon
and the
Late
Intermediate
Period
(ca.
a.d.
1000-1470)
on the
north
coast of
Peru,
are
represented
primarilyby
intrusive
burials.
All
but one of the
Middle Horizon
burials
were
found
within
depressions
in
the
adobe core
from
which con-
struction materialhad been mined (fig. 8a). These burials
had all been
disturbed,
some more
heavily
than
others. The
burials
were
in
extended
positions,
either on
their sides or
face
down,
and some
disturbed llama
burials were
also
found
alongside
the human
remains. A few
vessels
painted
red-white- black
provide
the
primary
evidence for
assigning
these burials
to the Middle
Horizon. One
other
intrusive
burial,
found within
wall debris at the
bottom of
the
deep
depression
just
east of the
adobe
core,
contained a
seated
individual
associated with a
corroded
copper
trumpet.
Three
intrusive
bundle burials
were cut
into the
landing
of
the Moxeke
Phase A
staircase on the north
wing.
Two
contained
seated,
flexed infantsand one
was of an
adult
fe-
male. These burials are
tentatively
dated to the Transition-
al
Period
based on
associated blackware
vessels
(Carol
Mackey, personal
communication
2002).
Other
flexed
and
extended burials
without
associated
diagnostic
grave
goods
encountered on the
north
wing
and
in
the summit
room are also
tentatively
assigned
to the
TransitionalPeri-
od
based
on
their
stratigraphic
positions,
body
treatment,
and
proximity
(in
the
case of the north
wing
examples)
to
the bundle burials.A
few
isolated
dog
burials
encountered
in
the north
wing
area
may
also
date to
this time
period.
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156 Architecture
nd
Chronology
t Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
nd Pozorski
Figure
12. Planof
Early
Horizonarchitectureocated
on the summitof
the
main
SechinAlto mound.
One
other ceramic
type, possibly dating
to the Transi-
tional Period or the Late Intermediate
Period,
was associ-
ated with a
very
late enclosure of
dry-laid
stones that
par-
tially
covered
the
summit
room.
Diagnostic
ceramics in-
clude redware decorated with lizard
appliques.
Chronological Summary
Chronological
information from Sechin
Alto indicates
that the
lower two-thirds of
the main
mound
dates to
Moxeke Phase A.
How
much
additional
time
is
represent-
ed
by
the more than 20
m
of
unexplored
construction
in
the
lower
part
of the
mound
is a matter of
speculation.
We
believe one or two massive earlierconstruction
phases
date
to the
beginning
of the Initial
Period
(ca.
2150 cal
B.C.)
and are
contemporary
with the earliest
occupations
at Pam-
pa
de
las
Llamas-Moxeke and Cerro Sechin
(Fuchs
1997:
158;
Pozorskiand Pozorski
1992:
852)
aswell as Las Hal-
das
(Pozorski
and Pozorski
1987:
10-11,
21-23).
The exact
configuration
of the mound
during
Moxeke
Phase
A
is
unknown because
it is obscured
by
Moxeke
Phase B
construction. Based on available
evidence,
howev-
er,
the
adobe core would have been the tallest
part
of the
mound,
standing
some 9
m above
the
surrounding
archi-
tecture.
East
of this
core,
a
courtyard
bordered
by square-
room units was probablypresent.Access to this courtyard
areawas via
the
lower
inset central
staircase.
The
upper
one-third
of the
main mound was
added
dur-
ing
Moxeke
Phase B. It
reveals
the
general
tendency
of
Ini-
tial Period
people
to adhere
to
specific
architectural
enets
over
long periods
of
time.
Much
of the
general
mound
configuration
visible
today
followed
earlier
Moxeke
Phase
A
architectural
patterns
seen
at
Pampa
de
las Llamas-Mox-
eke and
Taukachi-Konkan.
The
main
mound
reached
its
present
height
and
clearly
attained
a
U-shaped
configura-
tion
during
Moxeke
Phase
B;
the summit
room,
the
wing
structures,
our
rectangular
plazas,
and
two sunken
circular
plazas
were
also
probably
constructed
during
this
period.
All these changes happened quickly ca. 1500 to 1400 cal
B.C.
The Haldas
Phase,
dated
to ca. 1400-1000
cal
B.C.
near
the
end
of the
Initial
Period,
saw
relatively
ittle construc-
tion on
the main
mound.
Only
the intrusive
courtyard
and
room
complex
on the
north
wing
of the
upper
atrium
can
be
securely
attributed
to this
phase.
Additional
LasHaldas
type
ceramicsoccur
sporadically
on the
remainder
of
the
mound,
perhaps
representing
a brief
reuse
of Moxeke
Phase architecture.
Significant
differences
in architecture
and ceramics
separate
the Haldas
Phase
from the
Moxeke
Phase.
The modular
square-room
unit
was
replaced
by
shared-wall
room blocks
with
fewer
rounded
corners and
rear entrances.Pampade las Llamas-Moxeketype ceramics
were
abruptlyreplaced
by
Las
Haldas
type
ceramics.
The
Early
Horizon
occupation
of the
main
mound
caused
heavy damage
to Sechin
Alto
as
portions
of
the
mound
summit were
leveled and
construction
materialwas
taken to build
numerous
small
platforms,
rooms,
and
courts on the
newly
leveled
surface.
This
occupation
start-
ed ca. 500 cal B.C.and
lasted
a
few
hundred
years,
produc-
ing
substantial
midden material that
covers
much
of the
surface
today.
Many
more
people
probably
lived
on the
mound
during
the
Early
Horizon
than at
any previous
or
subsequent
time
period.
Use
of the mound
during
the
Middle
Horizon,
the
Transitional Period, and the Late Intermediate Period
was
sparse,
confined to occasional use
of the
mound
sur-
face as a burial
area and for the
construction of a few
rus-
tic rooms. Such
reuse of
early
mounds
was common
among
late
Prehispanicpeoples
who
evidently
still
regard-
ed earliermounds
worthy
of use
as burial
areas.
Conclusions
The
following
is an examination
of how SechinAlto
site
and the
main mound
fit into the Sechin
Alto
polity
as a
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of
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neology
Vol.
30,
2005 157
Figure
13. Profile
looking
northof wall
all
and
dumped
debris
depositedduring
he
Early
Horizon and
overlying
he
conical
adobe
brick taircaseocated
ust
eastof the mainentranceo the summit oom.
whole.
We
examine he
polity's
economic and
population
base,
evidence
of a
preconceived lan
maintained
through
several
generations,
videnceof
strong
bureaucraticon-
trol
through
architecturalnitsemblematic f administra-
tive
activity,
nd details
reflectingnterdependencemong
sites
within
the
polity.
The
recent
recognition
of the
Supe-Pativilca-Fortaleza
Valley
one south of Casma
as
the
likely
prepottery
enter
of
origin
or Andeancivilization ocused heworld'satten-
tion on the
archaeology
f Peru
Haas,
Creamer,
nd Ruiz
2004, 2005;
Shady
1997;
Shady,
Hass,
and Creamer
2001).
Sizeable
preceramic
ites there are ocatedwell
in-
land
n
optimum
areas or canalsand
generally
djacent
o
large
areas
f arable
and.Successive
enturies f
irrigation
agriculture
ave obscured hese
early
canal
systems,
but
settlement
pattern
data and
significant
ncreases n the
amountand
variety
f cultivated
speciesargue
or the exis-
tence
of
early rrigation ystems
Moseley
1992:
126;
Po-
zorski
and
Pozorski
1979:
426).
Preceramic
ntecedents
on the central oast
inspired
imilar
nitialPeriod
develop-
ments
in
river
valleys
to the north and
south,
and the
grandest,
he SechinAlto
polity,
occurred n
Casma.
Most
large
nlandmounds
ace
upriver
oward
he sourceof the
water
hat
was essential o this new
way
of
life,
and
they
ie
outside he limitsof
cultivation
o
maximize rable
and.
In
contrast,
SechinAlto
site,
the
polity capital,
ignals
ts im-
portanceby occupying
ertile and n the
valley
center.Al-
though large-scale rrigationagriculture
was the norm
along
much of the Peruvian oast
by
InitialPeriod
imes,
the
Casma
Valley
standsout
among
these
coastal
valleys.
We attribute his to the
unusually
fficientcontrol
and ef-
fective
management
f the
irrigation
ystem
hat
provided
the
impetus
for the
population
and constructionboom
that culminated
n
the
Sechin
Alto
polity
and its accom-
plishments
Pozorski
nd Pozorski
1987, 1992,
2002).
The
Sechin
Alto
polity
unctionedas a
unifiedwhole
for
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158 Architecture nd
Chronology
t Sechin
Alto,
Casma
Valley,
Peru/Pozorski
nd
Pozorski
some 500
years, managing
the
irrigation
system
and its
products, constructing
monumental
architectureof un-
precedented magnitude, and functionally integrating a
suite of distinct communities. This
unity
is reflected
in ar-
tifact
types,
architectural
lements,
architectural
enets,
and
foodstuffs
that are
shared
among
the communities.
At a
very
basic level is the
square-room
unit,
a
modular
archi-
tectural element that
signals
administrative
presence.
First
recognized
at
Pampa
de las
Llamas-Moxeke,
the
square-
room
unit is characterized
by
rounded
exterior
corners,
8-12 wallnicheswell above the
floor,
a
carpet
of
reed
mat-
ting,
raised
thresholds,
and
bar closure mechanismsto re-
strict
access.
It is
used
repeatedly
at
Pampa
de
las Llamas-
Moxeke
in
modules.
Thirty-eight
square-room
units
form
the
storage
modules
that
create
a
huge
warehouse
on Hua-
caA, one of the two main mounds at the site. A cluster of
compounds,
formed
of
single
square-room
unit
modules,
lie on either side of Huaca A where
they probably
served
to monitor or
regulate
access
to
and
from the mound.
Square-room
unit modules form the central
rooms of over
100
structures,
aligned
with
the site axis and
facing
the
site
center,
that
comprise
the east and west sides
of the site.
These
intermediate-sized
mounds are
interpreted
as ad-
ministrative structures because their architecture
is well-
built, clean,
and similarin
layout
to Huaca A and because
of the
presence
of
occasional
stamp
and
cylinder
seals of
fired
clay.
The few intermediate-sized
mounds that deviate
from
the
prevailing alignment
face
roads
that enter the site
from the east and west and
probably
monitored intersite
movement of
goods
and
people.
In this context the inter-
mediate-sized mounds
may
have
provided
a third adminis-
trative tier to
regulate
the movement of
products among
Huaca
A,
the
support
communities,
and other
contempo-
rary
Casma
Valley
centers
(Pozorski
and
Pozorki
1991,
1994).
At
Pampa
de
las
Llamas-Moxeke,
small
square-
room
unit modules were also discovered within
areas of
residential architecture hat
yielded ample
evidence
of cot-
tage
industries such as textile
production.
In
this
context,
these
administrative modules
may
have controlled
this
facet of the local economic
system.
At Taukachi-Konkan
and Sechin
Alto,
square-room
units were
also found
in
probable
administrative contexts within monumental ar-
chitecture,
and Cerro Sechin consists
of at least three con-
centric
modules.
The
pervasiveness
of the
square-room
unit at SechinAl-
to
polity
sites reveals that the
component
communities
shared
a
common administrative
language, xpressed
ar-
chitecturally.
Varied
functions for
major
mounds
at other
sites
provide
additional evidence
of
interdependence
among
the sites. At
Pampa
de
las
Llamas-Moxeke,
one
of
the two main mounds functioned as a
temple,
basedon its
highly-visible
friezes and
large, publicly-
accessible
plazas,
whereas
the second
functioned
as a
large
warehouse
for
storing comestibles and other valuables(Pozorskiand Po-
zorski
1991, 1994,
1998).
The
largest
mound at
Taukachi-
Konkan
is
interpreted
as
a
palace
because
it contains
both
public
space
for
receiving
elite
guests
and
private
residen-
tial
quarters.
We
propose
that
the immense Sechin
Alto site
main mound was
the
overarching
administrative
center
bringing
churchand
state
together
by
combining
the
re-
ligious precinct
of the adobe core with
adjacent
square-
room unit administrative
elements.
The net
result
is a col-
lection
of
major
inland
sites with
complementary
roles,
that,
taken
together,
comprise
a
cohesive whole.
Contemporary
coastal
sites were
integrated
into the
Sechin
Alto
polity
through
a subsistence
exchange
system.
Bahia Seca, Tortugas, and Huaynuna were semi-au-
tonomous
fishing
villagesduring
the Late
Preceramic
Peri-
od
(Pozorski
and
Pozorski 1987:
12-16,
1992:
848-850).
With the
introduction
of
irrigation
and
ceramics
and the
rise of
large
inland
centers
during
the
subsequent
Initial
Period,
these sites became
satellites
providing
much-need-
ed
animal
protein
in the form of
fish and
shellfish.
These
were
exchanged
for
cultigens
such
as
beans,
lima
beans,
potatoes,
sweet
potatoes, peanuts,
cotton,
gourds,
and
squash grown
near the
inland
centers. Evidence
of control
of these
sites
by
the
inland centers
is seen
at
Bahia Seca
which
has an intermediate-sized
mound with
a
square-
room unit module
at its
center,
just
like
the mid-level
ad-
ministrative mounds at Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke,
Taukachi-Konkan,
nd Sechin
Alto
(Pozorski
and
Pozorski
1992:
fig.
2).
We estimate that
approximately
18,000
people
inhabit-
ed
the
Sechin
Alto
Complex
at its
apogee
and
that
outly-
ing
sites
integrated
into the
polity
had an additional
popu-
lation of almost 5000
people.
These estimates
are based
on
data from
Pampa
de las
Llamas-Moxeke,
he
best-preserved
Casma
Valley
Initial Period
site. Two-thirds
of the site
lies
outside
areas of modern
cultivation,
and it is
relatively
un-
affected
by
later
occupation
and
natural forces. We
deter-
mined that
approximately
7%
of the
total site
areawas
oc-
cupied
by
residential architecture
comprising
some
500
structures.
Using
a conservative estimate of five
persons
per
structure
(
=
2500
persons)
and
correcting
for the
one-
third of the
site under modern
cultivation
(=
1250
per-
sons),
we
calculated the residential
population
of
Pampa
del las Llamas-Moxeke
to be
approximately
3750
people.
Extrapolating
to the Sechin
Alto
Complex,
which
is 4.77
times
larger
than
Pampa
de las
Llamas-Moxeke,
we
get
a
figure
approaching
18,000.
The
remaining
estimated
pop-
ulation of 1200
persons,
is based
on the
combined areasof
the coastal
sites
which
were
almost
totally
residential.
-
8/11/2019 Architecture and Chronology at the Site of Sechn Alto,
18/20
Journal
of
Field
Archaeology
Vol.
30,
2005 159
The Sechin
Alto
political
and
economic
system,
with
ar-
chitectural
accomplishments
that
make the Casma
Valley
unrivaled n the entire New World for its time period, be-
gan
to
weaken
nearthe end
of the Moxeke
Phase. Two
sig-
nificant
events
evident
in the
archaeological
record
may
help explain
this decline.
One
is the
great
battle
or massacre
depicted
in the Cerro
Sechin
carved-stone
facade,
where
the warriorsand
the victims
can
be
clearlydistinguished
by
their dress.
Significantly,
the
victims
in the Cerro Sechin
carvings
wear the
same
pleated
skirts
and
scalloped
tunics
as
the
immense
god-like
or
priest-like
figures
that adorn
the facade
of
the
temple
mound
at
Pampa
de las
Llamas-
Moxeke
(Kauffmann
1983:
179;
Pozorski 1987:
27;
Tello
1956:
154,
159).
In the absence
of evidence
of attack
by
external
enemies
at
this
time,
the
Cerro
Sechin
iconogra-
phy suggests
internalstrife. More
specifically,
t shows that
insurgence by
a faction
from
the southern
Pampa
de
las
Llamas-Moxeke
branchhad
been
quelled
and
its
leaders
ex-
ecuted.
Second,
about 1400
cal
B.C.,
a
large-scale
El
Nino
event
struck
the Casma
Valley
area.
This is
clearly
docu-
mented
at
Cerro
Sechin
and was
observed
on Huaca A at
Pampa
de
las
Llamas-Moxeke.
El
Nino
damage
on
one ma-
jor
mound was
partially
repaired,
but the site
was aban-
doned
soon
after this
event.
The
Sechin
Alto
polity
responded
during
Moxeke
Phase
B
by
consolidating
its
leadership
at
Sechin
Alto site and
by
altering
the
main mound
to
tangibly
represent
this
politi-
cal
restructuring.
The
main mound was
expanded by
rais-
ing
its summit elevationsome 9 m to the
height
of the sur-
faceof the
adobe
core.
A
huge square-room
unit was built
east
of the
core,
and
the four
rectangular
plazas
and
two cir-
cular
plazas
and their
bordering
mounds
were also
con-
structed
at this
time.
The eastface of the
summit room was
covered
with
an immense
polychrome
frieze
readily
visible
from the
plazas
below.
The two circular
sunken
plazas
within
the
row of
plazas,
ike
amphitheaters,
may
have held
localized
rituals
or
spectacles
as a
means of
bringing
cere-
mon
top related