The Rediscovery of Huaca Pintada: Why Traditional Ecological Knowledge Matters Within Archaeological Environments in Peru

Ghavami, Sâm; Cancho Ruiz, Christian

ISBN 10: 1009583700 / ISBN 13: 9781009583701

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2026

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 26405143577

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Rediscovery of Huaca Pintada: Why Traditional Ecological Knowledge Matters Within Archaeological Environments in Peru
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1009583700
• ISBN 13: 9781009583701
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This Element presents a case study of the authors' partnership with the Pintada community in their excavation of a pre-Columbian site known as 'Huaca Pintada', a pyramidal mound located in the Lambayeque region on the north coast of Peru. The site, which gained recognition after the fortuitous discovery by looters in 1916 of an exceptional polychrome mural, was somehow 'forgotten' by the scientific community after irreversible damage. However, this was not the case for the local inhabitants, families like the Inońán or the Chapońán descendants of ancient muchic traditions, who founded a village named after their illustrious elder. The authors will describe how local actors like shamans or workers were indispensable in finding solutions that led not only to the rediscovery of the treasures of the Huaca Pintada but also to the reconnection of the community with its past.