Who built Ampituna (PT 2)?

As I mentioned in the last lab note, we don't know who built Ampituna.  This is one of the things we hope to figure out when we go and visit the site.  Still, there are some educated guesses we can make about who the builder's might have been.  In the last lab note we discussed the possibility that the Chancay had constructed the site.  Here, we will discuss the Atavillos.

Supsect 2: The Atavillos

Very little is known about the Atavillos.  The group is mentioned in 16th century documents written by Spanish administrators after their conquest of the Andes and based on these documents, we know that the Atavillos lived somewhere in the highlands between the Chancay and Chillon Valley.

 

                                               Map showing approximate location of the Atavillos

 

                              Spanish Colonial document from the Archive of the Archbishop in Lima

Unfortunately, as little archaeology has been done in the highland regions of the Chancay Valley, the Atavillos have not yet been identified archaeologically.  As such, we do not know which specific architectural or ceramic styles were associated with this culture.  Typically, highland groups in the central Andes used pachia style architecture for their houses, so the presence of this architectural style at Ampituna would suggest that the site was built by a highland group.

 

 

                                Examples of pachia style architecture at the site of Huanangui