Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke — Second Platform
Moxeke Pampa de las Llamas Second
Initial Period Casma-Sechín 1800–900 BCE·Casma/Sechín (Moxeke–Pampa de las Llamas polity)·🇵🇪 Ancash, Casma Province, Peru
About
About Pampa de las Llamas-Moxeke — Second Platform
Second platform of dual-mound Casma/Sechín city (1800–900 BCE): Huaca Moxeke 30 m high pyramid with painted clay friezes (warrior, feline, serpents) 8×3 m; Pampa de las Llamas 200 Ha city grid of 200 compounds with orthogonal streets, earliest planned city in Peru before Chan Chan; includes Sechín Bajo adobe platform 3500 BCE outlier 2 km. Shelley and Thomas Pozorski excavations reveal state before Chavín.
Why it mattersEarliest orthogonal planned city in Peru predating grid by 2000 years; only 1800 BCE polychrome frieze corpus.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Plan grid cardinal why accurate
- 02Frieze warriors depict sacrifice or myth
Theories
- 01Moxeke as Casma state capital before Chavín theological takeover
- 02City planned as cosmogram
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1800–1400 BCE; Sechín Bajo 3500 BCE outlier nearby
- Period
- Initial Period Casma-Sechín 1800–900 BCE
- Culture
- Casma/Sechín (Moxeke–Pampa de las Llamas polity)
- Builders
- Casma Sechín
- Purpose
- Admixed pyramid temple and 200 Ha orthogonally planned city
- Abandoned
- c.900 BCE (Chavín influence intrudes)
- Rediscovered
- Mayan 1937 Tello notes; Pozorski 1980s
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
1800 BCE
Moxeke pyramid and city grid founded
900 BCE
Abandoned for Pampa de Las Llamas–Chavín transition
On the ground
Structures & features
9.5003° S · 78.2325° W · 75 m · 2 mapped features
Huaca Moxeke Pyramid
pyramid30 m adobe pyramid with warrior clay friezes 8×3 m
9.4995° S · 78.2320° WPampa de las Llamas Grid
ancient city200 ha orthogonal compounds grid 200 compounds
9.5010° S · 78.2330° W