Kotosh Religious Tradition facts for kids
| Geographical range | Huánuco,  Peru |
|---|---|
| Period | Initial Period |
| Dates | c. 1,800 – 900 BCE |
| Type site | Kotosh |
| Preceded by | Norte Chico |
| Followed by | Chavin |
The Kotosh Religious Tradition is a name archaeologists use. It describes special ancient buildings found in the Andes mountains. These buildings were made between about 3000 and 1800 BCE. This time is known as the Late Archaic period in Andean history.
Archaeologists have found and studied many of these ancient places. The first one discovered was at Kotosh. Other sites include Shillacoto, Wairajirca, Huaricoto, La Galgada, and Piruru. These sites are all in the highlands, but they are far apart. Even so, their ancient public buildings look very similar.
The Kotosh tradition has many connections to the later Chavín culture. This culture grew in many of the same areas.
Contents
Ancient Discoveries at Kotosh
Archaeologists found three main cultural periods at Kotosh. These periods happened before the Chavín culture.
Mito Period: The First Builders
The Mito tradition was the earliest period. People during this time did not use pottery. This is when the famous Temple of the Crossed Hands was first built. The image of crossed arms is a special symbol for the Kotosh temples.
Wairajirca Period: Pottery Appears
During the Wairajirca Period, people started making and using pottery for the first time.
Kotosh Period: Continuing Traditions
The Kotosh Period kept many traditions from the Wairajirca Period. This included their style of pottery. The culture from the Kotosh Period was found right below the Chavín culture layers. This shows it came before the Chavín.
Some things from the Kotosh Period are similar to the Chavín culture. For example, they both used certain types of pottery spouts and designs. They also had similar black paint on red pottery. Some Kotosh pottery, called Black Polished Incised, looks like classic Chavín pottery.
Kotosh: The Main Site
The main site for the Kotosh Religious Tradition is called Kotosh. It is about 5 kilometers from the city of Huánuco in Peru. The site is on the eastern side of the Andes mountains. This area is known as the Ceja de Montaña, or "eyebrow of the jungle." It sits on a lower terrace next to the Higueras River. Local people, who speak Huallaga Quechua, named it "Kotosh." This means "a heap of stones," because of two stony mounds there.
Who Explored Kotosh?
The first archaeologist to visit Kotosh was Julio C. Tello in 1935. He is known as the "father of Peruvian archaeology." He looked at the site as part of his study of the Huallaga basin. He collected pottery pieces from the surface but did not dig. In 1937, Donald Collier also visited but did not do much research.
In 1958, Japanese archaeologist Seiichi Izumi came to Kotosh. He was with Julio Espejo Núñez and Professor Luis G. Lumberas. After this visit, Izumi led a team from the University of Tokyo. They dug at the site from July to October 1960. This was part of their Andean Research Program. They published their discoveries in English in 1963.
La Galgada: Another Important Center
Another important site of the Kotosh Religious Tradition is La Galgada. It is on the eastern bank of the Tablachaca River in Pallasca Province, Peru. The site is in the Andes mountains, about 1,100 meters above sea level. Archaeologists who dug there in the late 1970s and early 1980s named it "La Galgada." This was after a nearby coal-mining town. Local people called it "San Pedro."
People first lived around La Galgada about 3000 BCE. These farming communities built small rooms different from their homes. They likely used these rooms for ceremonies. The archaeological evidence shows they spent more effort building ceremonial and burial places than their own houses. This was common in many ancient societies. Surveys show that during the Pre-Ceramic Period, at least 11 settlements grew in the Tablachaca Canyon. They were on both sides of the river near the modern village of La Galgada. One of the lead archaeologists, Terence Grieder, said La Galgada was "one of the most important ceremonial and burial areas" in a large, well-populated region.
Buildings at La Galgada
The most important buildings at the La Galgada ceremonial site were the North and South Mounds.
Studying La Galgada
By the 1960s, La Galgada was a busy mining town. The ancient site was in danger from people looking for valuable artifacts. However, the town governor, Teodoro E. López Trelles, knew the site was important. He took steps to protect it. In 1969, he showed the site to Terence Grieder from the University of Texas at Austin. Grieder was interested and decided to study the site later.
In 1976, Grieder and archaeologist Alberto Bueno Mendoza returned. They realized the site was much older than they thought, from the Preceramic Period. They started raising money for an excavation. The digging began in 1978 and continued until 1985.
