Bandurria, Peru

Bandurria is a large archaeological site on the Huaura River in Peru going back to 4,000 BC. It is located about 3 km south of the city of Huacho, in Huacho District, Huaura Province, Lima Region. It corresponds chronologically to the period known as the 'Late Archaic' or 'Late preceramic' covering the years from about 4000 to 2000 BC.

The site is located near the Pacific coast, in the area called Playa Chica at kilometer 141 of the Panamericana Norte highway. It was discovered in 1973 by Domingo Torero Fernandez de Cordova. It occupies the area of 54 hectares and has been studied by a team led by archaeologist Alejandro Chu.

Bandurria is located near the Santa Rosa irrigation project, and the nearby wetland area. Part of the archaeological site has been destroyed as a result of water infiltration when the project started in 1973. But this is also when the site was discovered.

The area got its name from a species of birds present in this area, known also as Buff-necked ibis.

The site was investigated by Rosa Fung in 1973 and 1977. These investigations concluded that the site belongs to the Late Archaic period, from the 4th to the 3rd millennium BC. Some of the radiocarbon dates obtained were between 2,500 and 2,300 BC.

Bandurria represents an early coastal fishing settlement featuring the first evidence of a ceremonial stone architecture. Archaeological sites belonging to the Late Archaic period had been identified previously to the north, but Bandurria was prior to them chronologically.

In August 2005, the research work restarted on the site, more than 30 years after its discovery. The Bandurria Archaeological Project, led by Alejandro Chu, uncovered a section of a monument built with boulders and mortar. These recent excavations have uncovered the evidence of monumental architecture, and established that this was an urban center distinct from the other monumental sites on the north central coast of Peru. This may represent the earliest evidence of urbanism in this larger coastal area.

The site is divided into two distinct sectors. The area featuring domestic occupation is the largest. Most of this area was destroyed by the irrigation project.

The sector featuring monumental architecture at first seemed like a natural formation made up of low rocky hills. However, a thorough review of the surface and surroundings of these hills revealed at least 4 major mounds, to which other smaller mounds were associated.

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Wikipedia