Estructuras megalíticas funerarias en el complejo Huari

Abstract

Megalithic Funerary Structures in Huari Complex

Between 1995 and 1997 the Universidad Nacional San Cristóbal de Huamanga studied several prehistoric monuments in the Ayacucho Valley region, especially the ruins of Huari, that included an examination of the condition of architectural remains as well as the recovery of artifacts. As a result of this work new information about megalithic funerary architecture has been collected, consisting of multi-level subterranean buildings, one resembling the outline of a camelid, that surely served as tombs for individuals of great social status. These structures belong to the moment of maximum urban development and political expansion of Huari, that dominated the Central Andes during the 7th through 10th centuries. These funerary structures demonstrate advanced knowledge of stone construction by specialists of the Ayacucho area, who were influenced not only by Tiahuanaco, but also by contemporary cultures of the north-central Peruvian highlands.