Restricted Access: Understanding The Architectural Configuration And The Use Of Space At Cerro De Oro (Cañete Valley, Perú)

Abstract

Cerro de Oro, located in the lower Cañete valley, was a large adobe city, built, inhabited and abandoned between ca. 500-850 AD. The size of the site, the monumental and standarized dimensions of its architecture, the excavated contexts as well as its urban trace distinguish Cerro de Oro as a sui generis settlement for its time and location. The integration of analysis performed at the site show that its architecture, spatial organization and cultural contexts were highly structured, which is reflected in restrictions in access, visibility and use of space within the site. The following article presents a contextual interpretation that integrates the analysis of space, ceramics, textiles, botanics and shell remains, performed by the Proyecto Arqueológico Cerro de Oro between 2012-2015, and proposes a series of possible escenarios as to how this city was lived.