Anthropomorphic Figures at the Alto De La Guitarra Site, Moche Valley, Peru

Barrau M.S.; Benítez D.C. · Anthropomorphic Images in Rock Art Paintings and Rock Carvings (2020)

Resumen

In 2010 the authors completed the first inventory of the natural environment and cultural landscape of the Alto de la Guitarra archaeological site in the Moche valley, La Libertad Department, Perú. After 70 years of partial contributions, in particular from Castillo (2000) and Campana (2004a, 2004b, 2006a, 2006b) we were able to develop a new strategy for carrying out research activities in a holistic format (Castillo and Barrau 2014). Therefore, a corpus of environmental and cultural aspects of the site was gathered, involving the recording of 401 boulders with art engravings, together with associated surface structures and main communication pathways. The whole site is considered a major crossroads of paths because walking trails connect to the north with the Moche and Chicama valleys, to the east with the Carabamba plateau, and to the south with the Viru valley. On the other hand, the variety, concentration and exceptional nature of the petroglyphs in Alto de la Guitarra is widely recognized, attributes that allow us to define it as an open-air rock art sanctuary. In this article we present a set of rock art engravings corresponding to anthropomorphic images that do represent a chronological and cultural sequence in the area. The study involves execution techniques, iconographic features and the analysis of the spatial distribution of the boulders and associated structures in relation to the tutelary mountains. Last but not least, the information provided is completed with the archaeological record and also with data provided by the ethnohistory on mythology and ritual, which allow an approximation to the knowledge of the social dynamics and symbolic universe predominant in the societies that produced the rock art in the site. Regarding dates, the rock art expressions included in this paper range from the Late Preceramic period, that is to say around 6000 BC, up to the Middle Formative period, 1200-800 BC. © Archaeopress and authors 2020.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas