La Centinela
LocationPeru
RegionIca Region
Coordinates13°27′1″S 76°10′16″W / 13.45028°S 76.17111°W / -13.45028; -76.17111

La Centinela is an archaeological site in Peru which was an active administrative center during both the Inca and pre-Inca periods.

History

La Centinela was the Incan capital of the kingdom of the Chincha. It is "an unusual site in that it is one of the very few places where the Incas incorporated a major state installation into a preexisting, and still functioning, non-Inca capital."[1] In 1958, Dwight T. Wallace discovered a system of straight roads emanating from La Centinela, suggesting a highly centralized pre-Incan administration.[2]

Site

La Centinela lies about 200 km south of Lima in the Chincha Valley and about 1 km away from the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by irrigated agricultural land. This means that the residents of La Centinela exploited plant, animal and marine resources.[3]

There are 11 well-defined pyramid structures and minor buildings constructed by adobe bricks. There are examples of adobe walls decorated using the technique of Champlevé.[4]

A black and red on white geometric painting can be found within the principal Inca building.[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Evans, Susan Toby and Joanne Pillsbury 2004. Palaces of the Ancient New World: A Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks, 10 and 11 October 1998. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. p. 311
  2. ↑ Menzel, Dorothy (1959). "The Inca Occupation of the South Coast of Peru". Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 15 (2): 125–142. doi:10.1086/soutjanth.15.2.3628802. S2CID 131557376.
  3. ↑ Ugent, Donald; Peterson, Linda W. (September 1988). "Archaeological Remains of Potato and Sweet Potato in Peru" (PDF). International Potato Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  4. ↑ Lothrop, S.K. (1951). "Gold Artifacts of Chavin Style". American Antiquity. 16 (3): 226–240. doi:10.2307/276783. JSTOR 276783. S2CID 163186881.
  5. ↑ Menzel, Dorothy (1959). "The Inca Occupation of the South Coast of Peru". Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 15 (2): 125–142. doi:10.1086/soutjanth.15.2.3628802. S2CID 131557376.
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