Emily Chan
“It was probably a gathering place and ceremonial location for some of the earliest people living in this part of Cajamarca Valley,” Toohey said. “These people were living a primarily hunting-and-gathering lifestyle and probably had only recently begun growing crops and domesticating animals.”
Researchers unearthed several objects in the interior rooms of the megalith, including quartz crystals, a gemstone, ceramic and stone serving vessels, and pieces of anthracite that used to be a mirror.
At the time of the plaza’s creation, the Andes were experiencing a period of transition from foraging to food production. Those who built the plaza may have wanted to lay their claim to the land with a physical structure.
A monument of such size and complexity also required planning and teamwork among large groups of people.
So, the discovery represents an “early example of collective construction, place building, and social integration among people in the Andes,” according to the authors of the study.
