The Cerro Ventarrón and Collud-Zarpán Archaeological Complexes: From the Preceramic to the Formative Period in the Lambayeque Valley

Abstract

Archaeological research at the Cerro Ventarrón and Collud-Zarpán complex, which began in 2007, has revealed the origins and emergence of early civilization in the Lambayeque Valley. The Huaca Ventarrón Temple was the core of a primeval ceremonial center whose first phase is dated around 2035-2300 BC. This center complex includes the archaeological site of Arenal, located on a hillslope to the southwest. The site has 1 square kilometer of Archaic Period monumental architecture. During the Formative Period, probably beginning in the Initial Period, the Collud-Zarpán site, situated at the northeast end of the Huaca Ventarrón Complex, was the valley’s theocratic capital. It covered more than 2 square kilometers of ceremonial architecture spread between two mounds aligned east to west.