Huari tomb reveals Andean control over jungle
The discovery of the tomb of the Huari prince at Espiritu Pampa (Peru) opens new horizons regarding the actual control of the jungle by Andean civilizations
The site of Espiritu Pampa, near Vilcabamba, was known to historians until recently as a refuge for the last rulers resisting Spanish conquest. The last of these, Tupac Amaru I, was captured and executed in Vilcabamba in 1572, marking the official end of Huascar’s lineage.
The Vilcabamba kingdom and its ruins remained forgotten for over 300 years until 1892, when Peruvians Manuel Ugarte, Manuel Lopez Torres, and Juan Cancio Saavedra reached the site of Hatun Wilca Pampa. The ruins were later studied by Hiram Bingham in 1911, but Antonio Santander Casselli identified Espiritu Pampa as the true Vilcabamba in 1959. Casselli returned to the site in 1964 with American explorer Gene Savoy, who helped bring Vilcabamba worldwide recognition.
In early 2011, archaeologist Javier Fonseca Santa Cruz announced the discovery of an important ancient cemetery at Espiritu Pampa. Analysis of the metallic and ceramic artifacts found in nine tombs identified the site as belonging to the Huari culture, which thrived in southern Peru from 600 to 1200 CE. Discoveries included two gold bracelets, a Y-shaped silver pectoral, a silver mask, as well as textiles and ceramics.
This evidence confirms that the Huari confederation, centered near modern-day Ayacucho at an altitude of around 3,000 meters above sea level, also controlled parts of the high jungle, a specific Amazonian biome ranging from 500 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Espiritu Pampa, located in the Mantalo Valley, a tributary of the Urubamba River, was crucial for managing trade flows between the jungle and the Andes. Goods such as coca, gold, honey, bird feathers, and medicinal herbs were exchanged for Andean products like maize, potatoes, maca, and camelids.
Other ruins of agricultural and ceremonial citadels and fortresses exist in tributary valleys of the Urubamba River. These include the Hualla Fortress in the Rio Mapacho Valley, discovered by explorer Carlos Neuenshwander Landa in 1958, and the pre-Inca citadel of Miraflores in the Rio Chunchusmayo Valley, studied in September 2011 during a Gregory Deyermenjian-led expedition.
Could these sites also be centers of the Huari culture? While definitive answers remain elusive, further archaeological excavations are necessary. Ancient stone roads predating the Incas crisscross the Yavero, Mantalo, and Paucartambo valleys, likely built by Huari colonizers for exchanging goods between the jungle and the Andes.
Only additional studies and explorations in Vilcabamba and the Megantoni National Sanctuary will provide new insights into the Huari civilization and its control over large parts of the Urubamba River basin.
YURI LEVERATTO
Copyright 2012
