Los cerros sagrados: panorama del Periodo Formativo en la cuenca del Vilcanota, Cuzco

Abstract

The Sacred Mountains: A Formative Period’s Overview of the Vilcanota Basin, Cuzco

This paper presents new data of the Formative Period in the Vilcanota Basin, accumulated during surface surveys and excavations of the Archaeological Project Huaro. The sites distribution varies in time during the Middle and Late Formative fertile areas when maize and potatoes are preferred by terracing hills and mountains. The excavations at Batan Urqu and Muyu Urqu revealed the existence of sunken courts as part of an ideological-religious system with sacred mountains as connection points, as part of a cognitive map. These new data also point at close connections with the Titicaca area.