Kushipampa and the End of the Formative Period in the Nepeña Valley

Abstract

This paper presents the information gathered during the first season of the Kushipampa Archaeological Project. By comparison with available data from coetaneal sites, this paper presents a preliminary identification of a new regional tradition emerging at the end of the Late Formative Period. This tradition was characterized by the use of a distinctive ceramic assemblage and architectural style at sites located mainly in the upper section of the Nepeña valley. After the decline of an economic system related to the Chavín cult, at 500 BC, a group of communities, including the one at Kushipampa, managed to create alternate exchange networks to replace the former system.