The Paracas occupation at el mono site, Chincha Valley, Peru

Abstract

In the Chincha valley, numerous archeological sites and settlements of Paracas affiliation have been identified to date. These include large architectural complexes that preserve monumental architecture, several smaller buildings with public architecture, as well as very few housing sites. One of these sites with smaller buildings corresponds to the archaeological site El Mono, which is located on the left bank of the middle-high valley of Chincha, and near the present town of El Carmen. In this site there are several low mounds of rectangular shape that inside hide small buildings made with adobe and stones walls. This is one of the first sites of the Paracas period in which scientific excavations were carried out in 1985 and 1987. Recent excavations made in two of the mounds have exposed small architectural buildings made up of low and staggered platforms belonging to the Late Paracas period. In the construction fillings were found different cultural remains, especially sherds of the Pinta style following the sequence of the Chincha valley, which is comparable with the Ocucaje 8 phase (300 b.C.) of the Ica valley. This article presents the evidence recorded in 1987 during excavations in one of the buildings (Building C1) of El Mono site, which in 1992 was the subject of my thesis for obtaining the Master’s Degree (DEA diploma) in “History of the Art and the Pre-Columbian Archaeology”, University of Paris I - Sorbona, France. Based on them, the role of these small buildings will be discussed, highlighting their implications in the development of the Late Paracas culture in the Chincha valley.