Huaca Casa Rosada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Huaca Casa Rosada

Huaca Casa Rosada in 2004
Location in Peru
Location	Lima
Region	Lima
Coordinates	12°04′54″S 77°05′15″W / 12.08167°S 77.08750°W / -12.08167; -77.08750
Type	Settlement

Huaca Casa Rosada is an archaeological site in San Miguel District, Lima, Peru. A "huaca" is an ancient place, often considered sacred. This site covers about 5,300 square meters in a busy city area today.

People lived here from ancient times, through the Inca period, and even during the Spanish colonial and early Peruvian Republic eras.

Where is Huaca Casa Rosada?

Huaca Casa Rosada is found in the San Miguel district of Lima, Peru. It sits between the streets Prolongación Cusco, pasaje Rosario Araoz, and Prolongación Ayacucho.

A Look at Its History

The Ancient Platform

The archaeological site has a square-shaped platform. It is about 36 meters on each side and 3 to 4 meters tall. This platform was built using rammed earth (packed dirt) and adobe (sun-dried bricks).

People used this site from the end of the Intermediate period to the Late period. During the Late Intermediate period, it was part of the Maranga archaeological complex. This complex belonged to the Ichma Lordship. We don't know exactly how the platform was used during this time.

Until the mid-1970s, Huaca Casa Rosada was in a large farm field. There were irrigation ditches next to its north and west sides. These ditches caused some damage to the lower part of the huaca.

The "Pink House"

Later, a house from the Republican period was built on top of the huaca. This house was known as "Casa Rosada," meaning "Pink House." It had strong adobe structures filled with earth and wall pieces to create a base.

The house itself was made with Quincha (a traditional building material using cane and mud) and wood walls. It had a square shape. The main posts were made of oak wood, likely from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Some smaller parts used huarango wood.

Even though it was a single-story house, the quincha used was very strong. It was the type usually used for second or third floors. The outside of the house was covered with a mud-based plaster and painted pink.

What Happened to the House?

Sadly, the area around the huaca became a city neighborhood. This was called "Urbanization Pando, second stage." The land was divided into new building plots. People building new houses used the beams and columns from the "Casa Rosada." This completely destroyed the old Republican-era house.

Protecting the Site

On December 4, 2003, a special decision was made. The National Institute of Culture (INC) declared Huaca Casa Rosada a "Cultural Patrimony of the Nation." This means it is a very important historical treasure for Peru.

In 2004, when Salvador Heresi was the mayor of San Miguel district, the archaeological site was protected. A fence was put around it, and the area was cleaned. The ancient walls were also made stronger.

What Was Found There?

Discoveries from Excavations

Archaeological digs happened between 1973 and 1974. Students from the "Seminario de Arqueología" at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru led these digs. They found many interesting things.

They discovered pieces of different kinds of pottery and dishes. Some were turned and glazed, others were earthenware, and some were fine imported ceramics from the 16th to 18th centuries. For example, they found pieces of French earthenware. These were thin, about 5 mm thick, with blue floral designs on a white background.

They also found many pieces of dark green and brown glass. These were from bottles, likely French wine bottles, made by blowing glass. Some shiny pottery pieces had designs in green and blue, similar to those found at another site called Huaca Palomino. Others had unique brown and green colors with purple.

Later Finds

In the early 2000s, more excavations took place. They found small rooms with packed dirt walls at the top of the building. These were located underneath where the Republican house used to be. Researchers also figured out that the stairway leading from the ground to the top was from the colonial-republican period.

Gallery

See also

In Spanish: Huaca Casa Rosada para niños

• Ministerio de Cultura del Perú. Huaca Casa Rosada en enero de 2015. http://www.arqueologiadigital.cultura.pe/ortofotos/casa-rosada
• Canal Patrimonio Monumental. Huaca Rosada en 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hftaubd74Qo
• Municipalidad de San Miguel, Lima. Huacas del distrito. https://www.munisanmiguel.gob.pe/municipalidad-de-san-miguel/turismo/huacas/