The archaeological site of Cahuachi
Cahuachi is an archaeological site in the province of Nazca in Peru. The site is located in the Nazca valley in the southern region near the Nazca River. It is about 500 meters wide and 365 meters above sea level (Silverman:1993). According to Silverman, Cahuachi lies over brown barren river terraces that are characterized by hills, above the bottom of the valley (1993). The hills are prominent to most of the artificial constructions at the site (Silverman:1993). From various types of erosion, including wind, water, and sedimentary, the hills appear to be naturally pyramidal in form.
Archaeologist William Duncan Strong’s excavations in the early Nasca site of Cahuachi between 1952 and 1953 found that the site was composed of temples, cemeteries, and house mounds (Valdez:1994). Following his findings, other scholars within Peruvian archaeology interpreted the site to have been an urban settlement with residential structures (Valdez:1994). However, more recent excavations and experiments suggests this to be unlikely.
Excavations and surveys indicate that the site was not a permanent domestic habitat. The site contains around 40 archaeological mounds and progressive excavations of the area found that most of these mounds were not used for habitation, but that it was more likely a religious ceremonial setting (Tapete:2013).
In the early 1980s, archaeologist Helaine Silverman and Italian architect Giuseppe Orefici conducted intensive and extensive archaeological excavations in several areas of the site (Valdez:1994). This new research was aimed towards finding and clarifying the real character of the site and of Nasca society, as many initially thought that the site was built for the purpose of habitation (Valdez:1994).
Silverman’s data from the excavations and experiments in 1986, strongly support the claim that the site was indeed a ceremonial centre. Through her work and research, Silverman found no evidence of habitants or domestic and residential structures indicating it to be an urban settlement (Valdez:1994). She suggested that the site was used as a ceremonial centre where people periodically performed religious activities (Valdez:1994). By examining the remains of pottery, Silverman also suggested that pottery was taken and was broken at the site as a part of the activities and rituals taking place at that time (Valdez:1994). The vegetal and faunal remains also indicated that food was brought to the site and immediately consumed there (Valdez:1994). Later research also indicated the consumption of hallucinogenic beverages at the site.
Orefici’s excavations in 1983 had revealed the evidence ceramic production in the form of an oven, however he has recovered various burial sites, ceremonial drums, and pottery and is in agreement with Silverman that the site is indeed a ceremonial centre (Silverman:1993).
The archaeological findings of Orefici demonstrated that Cahuachi was abandoned around 450 and 500 A.D. due to a severe drought and after severe mudslides and earthquakes (Orefici 2012).