Paititi — Pinco Pichu Ridge Vilcabamba Second Spur (Pantiacolla East II)
Pinco Pichu Paititi · Paititi Vilcabamba Pinco Pichu · Vilcabamba Paititi ridge II · Paititi second spur
Holocene landslide bench geology + modern Paititi projection onto Vilcabamba interior spur Late Horizon hypothesis projection onto natural bench geology·Natural landslide bench with colluvial stone-fronted pircas misread as Paititi interior citadel (no in situ culture)/ Late Horizon sherds downslope allochthonous Choquequirao wash·🇵🇪 Cusco, La Convención, Vilcabamba, Pinco Pichu ridge 2100 m, Choquequirao–Vilcabamba divide, Peru
About
About Paititi — Pinco Pichu Ridge Vilcabamba Second Spur (Pantiacolla East II)
Pinco Pichu ridge 2100 m spur branching east-southeast from Vilcabamba massif between Choquequirao and Vilcabamba, where thin cloud-forest terrace lines 30–50 m and rectangular platforms 10×8 m under canopy flagged in 2022 Universidad Cusco drone as 'Paititi wall lines'. Ground check by INC 2023 found no cut stone — platforms are landslide benches with colluvial stone fronts, colluvial terrace faces mimic Inca pircas but lack mortar or C14 in fill, scattered Late Horizon sherds downslope allochthonous from Choquequirao spill.
Treated hypothetical second Paititi spur variant — distinct from Pusharo Paititi east of Andes by being Andean slope interior spur, testing interior Andean vs Amazon Paititi location hypotheses.
Why it mattersTests interior-Andean Paititi hypothesis against Amazon Pusharo variants — Pinco Pichu proves Vilcabamba spur benches mimic pircas to drones, clarifying landslide-pircas confusion diagnostic across Andes.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Are bench fronts constructed pircas or colluvial sorting by slope creep?
- 02Allochthonous Late Horizon vs in situ?
Theories
- 01Alcalde wall 30 m may be Choquequirao terrace extended via colluvium — debris flow
- 02Pinco Pichu is natural Vilcabamba fort spur misread as separate city
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- benches Holocene landslip; sherds Late Horizon colluvial not stratigraphic
- Period
- Holocene landslide bench geology + modern Paititi projection onto Vilcabamba interior spur Late Horizon hypothesis projection onto natural bench geology
- Culture
- Natural landslide bench with colluvial stone-fronted pircas misread as Paititi interior citadel (no in situ culture)/ Late Horizon sherds downslope allochthonous Choquequirao wash
- Purpose
- Landslide bench stone fronts claimed as Paititi citadel interior spur terraces
- Abandoned
- no construction stratigraphic — natural bench enduring
- Rediscovered
- No INI excavation; 2022 Cusco drone; 2023 INC ground check proves colluvial
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
Holocene
Montane landslide creates Pinco Pichu bench series with colluvial stone fronts
c.1470
Late Horizon sherds from Choquequirao washed downslope onto bench (allochthonous)
2023
INC Cusco ground truth — bench is colluvial not cut-stone terrace
On the ground
Structures & features
13.1500° S · 72.8500° W · 2100 m · 3 mapped features
Pinco Pichu Bench Terrace Lines (30–50 m)
terraceBench-edge stone fronts 30–50 m 0.8 m high on landslide bench — colluvial pircas
13.1510° S · 72.8510° WRectangular Platforms (10×8 m) two units
platformTwo 10×8 m level platforms with stone perimeters 2100 m ridge — landslide flat
13.1490° S · 72.8490° WAllochthonous Late Horizon Sherd Flow (downslope)
scatterSherd scatter 100 m downslope — Choquequirao colluvial wash not bench stratigraphic
13.1520° S · 72.8520° W