La Galgada: Peru Before Pottery Author(s): Terence Grieder and Alberto Bueno Mendoza Source: Archaeology, Vol. 34, No. 2 (March/April 1981), pp. 44-51 Published by: Archaeological Institute of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41727123 Accessed: 04-08-2015 15:41 UTC

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This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:41:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions by Terence Grieder and Alberto Bueno Mendoza

n a desolate canyon in the high Andes ofnorth- the surroundingmountains, animal bones are ern Peru, the secretsof one ofAmerica's oldest almost nonexistentin the debris ofthe ruins.This civilizations are comingto light.Five thousand may imply a diet based mainly on agricultural years ago, the ancient people who lived therebuilt products. elaborate temples and tombsand shared a beautiful The site extends forabout one kilometeralong art. For a thousand years beforethe introductionof the east bank of the river with three ceremonial pottery,artists and craftmenworked in bone and complexes formingthe nuclei of settlements.A shell, stone,basketry and especially in textiles.The slightlydifferent pattern of platformsaround a arid climate at the ruins of La Galgada has pre- large temple, all apparently Preceramic in date, served the richest collection of cultural material was discovered on the opposite west bank. Since available in the Andean highlands during the 1976 we have been studyingthe largest ofthe east period between 3000 and 2000 B.C.That period, bank settlements.It contained about 50 houses but called the Preceramic, has begun to show the sur- others were destroyedwhen a road was built prising beginning of one of the New World's great- throughLa Galgada in 1975. Ifall ofthe houses had est styles and the originsof a distinctivelyPeruvian been occupied by families of five,this area had a civilization. population ofover 250 people,which probablycon- Studyof the Peruvian Preceramic periodbegan stituted about one-fourthof the population of the in 1946 when the archaeologist Junius Bird exca- whole site. The road project also cut throughthe vated the ancient mound of Huaca Prieta on the temple complexand coveredover early levels along Pacific coast. In the time since the Huaca Prieta the façade ofthe large northtemple while destroy- excavations, countless Preceramic sites have been ing half ofthe later part ofthe small south temple. identifiedin Peru and about a dozen or so have been In 1978 excavations concentratedon the all- sampled by excavation. The Preceramic ended importantsalvage ofthe south temple.Then in 1979 about 2000 B.C. when potterymaking was intro- and 1980 workfocused on decipheringthe architec- duced,but how to definethe beginningof the period tural historyof the large northtemple. The unusual is a morecomplex issue. The termPreceramic has historical significanceof La Galgada is based in part sometimesbeen used to cover all ofthe millennia of on its exceptionally fine and well-preservedar- human occupation in Peru beforepottery. Now chitecture.These remains have dictated a conserva- thanks to a series ofPreceramic site excavations a tive excavation approach in which the remains of moremeaningful definition of this importantperiod everysingle architecturalperiod are preservedand is emerging.Archaeologists have determinedthat only unrestorable rubble and exposed fill are re- duringabout 3000 B.C.the mostadvanced Peruvian moved.The survival ofthe monumenthas the high- communitiesalready showed many traits which set est priorityin an effortto carefullyprobe and record themapart fromthe earliest hunter-gatherersand the deeper levels of this major temple complex. sedentaryfarmers and linked them with the later The northtemple was completelyrebuilt at least Peruvian civilizations. These people lived in fourtimes. The earliest excavated level, which densely settled towns with large temples and built probably dates to about 3000 B.C.,contains a cere- tombsfor the upper class which held burial offerings monial firepitchamber of a type foundalso at of textiles and jewelry.The principal thing they Kotosh and Huaricoto which remained the typical lacked was pottery. ceremonial structurethroughout the Preceramic in The site ofLa Galgada is located in the canyon the highlands. At that time the floorlevel was al- of the Tablachaca River,the main tributaryof the ready 13 metersabove the base ofthe façade facing largest river on Peru's west coast. The unfailing the river.It seems likely that there are lower,earlier presence of water was surely the attraction to an- levels still to be discoveredwithin the mound.The cientfarmers. Even today many ofthe same plants temple was completelyrebuilt in about 2800 B.C. used by ancient inhabitants growin the canyon,an with new ceremonial chambers on top and a massive indicationthat the climate 5,000 years ago was not encirclingwall. Several centuries later the cham- too different.The ancient inhabitants ofLa Galgada bers were filled with two meters of fill to support raised Lima beans, peanuts, avocados, mangos, new floorlevels, and a new encirclingwall was con- bananas and several other foodplants as well as structed.Then in about 2000 B.C. when the first abundant cottonalong the banks of the river.Al- crude potterybegan appearing on the site, the whole thoughgame animals must have been plentifulin northtemple was encased in a still larger structure.

March/April 1981 45

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:41:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions During this rebuilding the small circular ceremo- America. Perhaps the ancient people sat on the low nial firepitchambers which had stood fora bench levels around the firepitsto take part in their thousand years were replaced by rectangular rooms rituals. In mostof the chambers there is not enough forminga U around the square courtyard.Only the floorspace fordancing or a dramatic ritual such as stumpof the large encirclingwall remains, and just sandpainting. traces ofthe rectangular buildings lie on top ofthe By about 2500 B.C.the southtemple compound had mound. been established south ofthe large northernmound. The massive temple walls appear to have served Over the following700 years chamber after onlyto retain filland make the temple higherand chamber was constructedwith five successive en- moreimpressive and do not seem to have been de- largementsof the encirclingwall. The reuse ofthe fensive.In fact,the walls ofthe later south temple old ceremonial chambers as tombsis mostclear in never »reacheda defensible height. One can only this compound.When a chamber was about to be speculate about the use of the ceremonial firepit abandoned a roughwall oflarge stones was placed a chambers. The most common material foundon meterfrom the chamberwalls. Flat stones were laid their floorsis white, orange, red or green feather as roofbeams fromthe new wall to the old chamber down. The only other item lying directlyon a walls; then this structurewas buried under the chamber floorwas the lower half of a large deer earth and rockfill leaving a stone-linedshaft lead- antler.These items suggest ceremoniesjust as the ing to the new surface.The small subterranean architecturerecalls the Pueblo kivas of North chambers held fromthree to fivebodies. Those dat-

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This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:41:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions (Left)The southeast corner of the North Temple at La Galgada. (Above) Closeup of the southeast curved cornerwhich is characteristicofPreceramic architecture.The two corbels (upper right) once supporteda higher wall level.

ing to the Preceramic periodwere extended on their sive stones used in theirconstruction is anticipated backs while those belongingto the transitionto the in the tombs at La Galgada. Initial Ceramic period (2000-1500 B.C.)were flexed The Preceramic temples are also notable forthe in a seated position. These representthe oldest ornamental constructionof both the interiorand ex- knownAmerican examples ofshaft tombs in which teriorwalls. Even in the earliest building, con- the tombchamber was reached by a shaftor tunnel. structedof rounded waterworn stones, a level pro- In later times such tombs were widely used along jecting dado was built with straight-linedtrapezoi- the west coast ofMiddle and South America. Other dal niches set upon it. Such rectilinearforms would tombs at La Galgada were built entirelynew into seem to be hard to build with rounded stones but the spaces between the encirclingwalls and be- theytook theirfinal formin the thickmud plaster tween the two temple compounds.These examples, which coveredthe stone walls. In the later buildings whichdate to the later part ofthe Preceramic or the ofsquared quarry stone various wall articulations beginningof the Initial Ceramic period,were built were constructed:dados, projectingstringcourses, of very large unshaped or roughly shaped stones. projectionsover corbels,and a course ofhorizontal They appear to be the prototypesfor the so-called niches. In the later walls thickand thincourses of galleries ofthe Cha vín temples ofthe Early Horizon masonrywere alternated,but even those carefully period (1500-500 B.C.). Chavin temples had a laid walls were probably plastered over with mud labyrinthof corridors or "galleries" but no real in- and painted white. Some walls show an undercoatof teriorrooms. The gallery formas well as the mas- yellow but the final coat always seems to have been

March/April 1981 47

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:41:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Thefirepit vent in the rectangularchamber in the SouthTemple has an opening justinside the doorstep which oncesupplied air to the firepit.

a polished pearly white. The other early Peruvian grownlocally. None ofthe recoveredfragments con- sites ofKotosh and Moxeke show representational tains any wool. The preferencefor cotton is typical modeling of the mud plaster and painting on the ofall the knownPreceramic textiles. Blankets and walls, but nothingof that sorthas been foundat La bags are the two most common identifiableitems, Galgada. There architectural ornament seems to each produced by its own characteristicPeruvian have been confinedto the pure abstract articulation technique, the blankets by twining,the bags by of the walls themselves. looping.Each ofthese methodshas its natural range of expression- weft-twining lending itselfto the TThe tombshave providedmost of the otherexam- flatareas ofblankets and looping adapting well to ples ofarts and crafts,especially jewelry,baskets, a the shaped formsof the bags. But a numberof other stone cup and mortars,and textiles. Peru is famous techniques have been found,such as netting,knot- forits ancient textiles which comprise one of the ted looping and interlooping.All ofthese techniques best preservedand numericallyrichest archives of are commonto all the known Preceramic textile ancient cráft.Along with similar Preceramic textile groups. fragmentsfrom Huaca Prieta, GuitarreroCave and It appears fromthe fragmentsin the burials that a fewother sites, the La Galgada textile fragments men carried a roundbag like a purse made by loop- provide importantevidence of the early develop- ing. These bags must have been objects of special mentof textile manufactureand tantalizing glimps- pride forthey are works of art - of the nine bags es ofits high artisticachievement. Aside fromthe whose designs can be most fullyreconstructed no occasional use ofcoarser plant fibers,all ofthe cloth two are alike. Birds seem to have been the subjectof at La Galgada was made of cotton,presumably three,two seem to have related snake designs,two

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This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:41:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions had circular or curvilinear patterns and one was rectilinear,all probably based on some natural themes,and one had a frontalfigure with an elabo- rate costume.This last design probablyrepresented an anthropomorphicdeity to judge fromthe frontal pose and the costume.The same figureis commonin later Peruvian art but is still not clearly identifiable by name. The bags give no clue to their original contentsexcept that small baskets were placed in- side such bags in one buriai. The makers of the bags took full advantage of the design freedompermitted by the looping technique. None ofthe designs is painted on, but in every case the color change is a change of thread. The ancient designers evidentlyshared the modern aesthetic ideal that the decoration should be inte- gral to the structureof the fabric.Despite the frag- mentarynature of the textiles, the original colors are well preserved: red, yellow,blue and black, as well as natural brown and white have been re- corded. The firstloom-made textiles fromLa Galgada belong to the end ofthe Precerainic period.The ear- lier, non-loomtextiles oftenmust have been made on a frameof sticks, but each manipulation dealt withonly one warp thread or at mostone pair. The new elementwas the harness, a stickwith heddles or stringsattached to alternate warp threads. By raising the harness every other warp thread was raised simultaneously.The earliest woven textiles at La Galgada are narrow cottonbelts, showingthat the loom was at firstnarrow- about fivecentime- terswide - and its harness raised onlythe fewwarps required by that width. Thé widening of the loom was a very slow process. Even a thousand years later the standard widthof woven textiles in Peru was a mere 33 centimetersor about a foot.The deco- ration of Preceramic cloth was all done by ma- nipulating individual threads which^was no longer possible when the loom was used. An early woven belt shows the plain cloth which was the natural productof the loom. Dissatisfied with its lack of decoration,the weaver painted dark brownstripes

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:41:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions (Top,left) Jewelry from a Preceramictomb includes bonehairpins inlaid with turquise, shell and turquoisebeads and shell pendants. Length of hairpinsrange from 11.6 to 15.8 centimeters. (Above) Thisflexed burial was found wrapped in layers of clothin a LatePreceramic tomb in the South Temple. (Left)A basketinside a loopedcotton bag was part of thefunerary offerings for a manand two women. Width, 22 centimeters.

across the belt. The browndye was slightlyacid and Huantar in the mountains about a hundred air eventually destroyedthe material. Not until tapes- miles or 160 kilometers south of La Galgada from trywas inventednearly 2,000 years later did Peru- about 1500 to 500 B.C.The presence ofa Chavin style vian weavers again achieve the structural orna- ornamentin such an early level suggests an earlier mentof cloth found in the Late Preceramic twined and longer development of the Chavin style than and looped fabrics. has been envisioned before.The simplestof the or- In 1979 fourshell disks were discoveredattached namented disks is made ofwhite shell withfour bird to an early woven cloth in the square patio of the heads on the rim,their eyes inlaid with red or green northtemple in a level with a radiocarbon age of stone. That circle is also the smallest, measuring 3540 B.P.± 50. When correctedby dendrochronology just 3.28 centimetersincluding the birdheads. The to calendar years a date ofbetween 2140 and 1860 second iridescentshell disk is incised with an angu- B.C.was produced. That date is of special interest lar abstract design based on the head ofa raptorial because three of the disks are decorated with de- birdwith a hooked beak. Red paint was rubbed into signs which show the transition fromthe Pre- the incisions. While the firstdisk is characteristi- ceramic art styleto the Chavin style. The powerful cally Preceramic in style with its plain surfaces, and widespread Chavin style dominated Peruvian small size, simple birdheads and varicoloredinlays, art fromits great ceremonial center at Chavin de the second disk begins to show Chavin characteris-

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This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 04 Aug 2015 15:41:42 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions (Top,left) Stacked baskets from a LatePreceramic tombcontained a cotton bag with a doublesnake design.(Above) Fragmentary cotton bag with a double birddesign made of dyed red and natural tan or white cotton.Length, 35 centimeters.(Left) Looped cotton textilefragment decorated with the legs of an anthropomorphicfigure. Length, 16.4 centimeters.

tics in its abstract angularity and the specification For FuiixeeeiiR&ading on the Peruvian of a hooked beak. The third disk is entirely in the Preceramic: Elizabeth P. Ben*»*» editor,7%e Chavin style. The fourheads are now those of DumbartonOaks Conferenceon Chavin(Washing* felinemonsters ofChavin art and are ton,1X2 1971), has importantarticles by Seiichi fanged typical Izumi made of modular and bands. The shell is on Preceramic and Cha vín styles at strips and Luis G. fromthe Ecuadorean Kotosh, Lumbreras on Chavin de orange spondylus imported Huantar, Juntas "Preceramic Cultives in coast and is excised to hold bands ofred Bird» deeply pig- Chicama and Virú,"ta WendellC.Bennett, editor, ment. The of this disk with presence along the AReappraioalofPeruvian Archaeology (Society others implies the existence of the mature Chavin forAmerican Archaeology IMS, memoir4) mad stylebefore 1800 B.C.Altogether the threedecorated "Pre-ceramicArt from Huaca Prieta, Chicama disks suggest that Peruvian art developed from Valley,"Nawpa Pacha 1 (Instituteof Andean Preceramicto Chavin stylemore rapidly than has Studies, Berkeley,California 1963): 29-34, are been thoughtpreviously. basic introductionsto the studyof the period; La Galgada offersa variety of insights into RichardL-Burger and Lucy Salazar Burger, the cultural ofPeru. It confirmswhat other "Ritual and Religion at Huaricoto," Archaeol- history OGY6 sites have to reveal - that Preceramic sites (19M): 26-32;William J. Conklin,"The Rev- begun Inventionsof the were far from isolated olutionaryWeaving Early being primitivevillages. Horizon? Nawpa Pacha 16 (Instituteof Andean Instead formeda unified they large region by Studies, Berkeley 1878),describes the develop- shared styles of art and architecture.The long se- mentof Chavin textilesas theygrew fromPre- ries ofbuildings and othercultural materials found ceramic antecedents;Frédéric Engel, "A Pre- at La Galgada provideevidence forthe rapid social ceramicSettlement on theCentral Coast ofPeru: and cultural progressmade duringthe Preceramic Asia, Unit If Tkanaactkm*of tite American period. Already at this early time there is ample PhiiooophicalSociety 53 (Philadelphia 1963,new evidence of the artistic principles and elements of series),provides comparable material;Robert A. and as well as of settle- Feldman,"Life in AncientPeru," Ffe&Mfuseiimof style technique, patterns Natural Bulletin mentand land which are characteristicof later HUtory 48 (Chicago 1977),de- use, scribes an site at on the Peruvian civilization. The Preceramic early temide Aspero represents Peruvian coast; Thomas F. Lynch,editor, Guita- the beginningof a distinctivePeruvian civilization rreroCave: EarlyMan in theAnde s (Academic united especially by styles ofarchitecture and tex- Press,IfewYork 1980), is theimportant final re- tiles long beforethe introductionof pottery. port on thatsite»

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