A city of temples by the Pacific Ocean

This article is from World Archaeology issue 128

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For the first time in 40 years, a new effort is under way by archaeologists from the University of Toronto, in collaboration with local scholars, to document the pre-Hispanic city of Pacatnamu in the Jequetepeque Valley of northern coastal Peru. The city lies within an 18.5km2 conservation zone and dates to at least as early as the Moche period (AD 200-850), although the nature of its earliest phase remains unclear due to later constructions by the Lambayeque/Sicán (c.AD 750-1375) and the Chimú (c.AD 900 1470).

Nicknamed ‘the City of the Temples’ by archaeologists in the 1940s, the central core of Pacatnamu is enclosed by monumental walls and gateways. It contains more than 50 pyramids, with courtyards, living spaces, storage, and preparation rooms. This extensive city was further divided by roads, cemeteries, and a large plaza at its centre. However, the site’s location on a remote cliff beside the Pacific Ocean has stymied long-term conservation and study attempts, meaning only a handful of its pyramid complexes have been sampled by excavation. The team plans to raise additional funds in order to continue surveying the site and monitoring damage from endemic looting, while exploring the possibility of a longer-term collaborative initiative to help conserve and perhaps further excavate Pacatnamu.

Text & Image: Christopher Wai and Stefanie Wai, University of Toronto 
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