Shicras North Platform
Shicras Norte Chico annex
Late Archaic Preceramic 3000–1800 BCE, Norte Chico Caral-Supe tradition·Norte Chico (Caral-Supe, Late Preceramic)·🇵🇪 Lima Region, Huaral Province, Peru
About
About Shicras North Platform
North Platform 600 m north of main Shicras pyramid at Chancay Valley: 10 m high stepped platform 35×30 m built with shicra woven bags filled with river cobbles (ancient construction textile technique), plastered stair 18 steps. Dated 2650 BCE by Ruth Shady. Part of Norte Chico 3000 BCE pyramid tradition preceding ceramics.
Why it mattersDocuments Norte Chico shicra-bag monumental technique at Shicras northern satellite, among earliest pyramids in Americas.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01How shicra bags supported 10 m height with seismic resilience
- 02Whether north platform was astronomical counterpart to main pyramid
Theories
- 01Dual-pyramid complex with north as observatory
- 02Shicra technique as communal labor mobilizer pre-ceramic
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.3000–1800 BCE (Late Preceramic Norte Chico)
- Period
- Late Archaic Preceramic 3000–1800 BCE, Norte Chico Caral-Supe tradition
- Culture
- Norte Chico (Caral-Supe, Late Preceramic)
- Builders
- Norte Chico
- Purpose
- Northern subsidiary pyramid of Shicras on alluvial terrace with shicra-bag (vegetal fiber net) fill, early monumental platform
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.3000–1800 BCE (Late Preceramic Norte Chico)
Initial construction
1800 BCE, Norte Chico Caral-Supe tradition
Major occupation / refurbishment
On the ground
Structures & features
11.5230° S · 77.2930° W · 360 m · 2 mapped features
Shicras North Platform summit
pyramid10 m platform summit with atrium and shicra fill exposure
11.5220° S · 77.2920° WShicra construction exposure
structureSection revealing woven shicra bags with cobble fill
11.5240° S · 77.2940° W