Chaviña Pampa East Extension Geoglyphs (Pampa Chaviña Este, Lucanas)
Chaviña Este Geoglyphs · Eastern Chaviña Plateau Figures
Early Intermediate to Middle Horizon (Siguas–Nazca–Wari)·Lucanas puna Siguas–Nazca–Wari (Puquio transect)·🇵🇪 Ayacucho Region, Lucanas Province, Pampa Chaviña East (4000 m plateau East of Puquio–Chaviña Road), Peru
About
About Chaviña Pampa East Extension Geoglyphs (Pampa Chaviña Este, Lucanas)
Eastern pampa extension (3,980 m) of Chaviña geoglyph plateau, Lucanas puna 18 km southwest of Puquio, Ayacucho. 8 m wide straight avenues with cairn borders radiating from central 8 m stone apacheta (libation pit with Siguas–Nazca transitional sherds), and 12 spiral circles 6–11 m diam (Chavín–Recuay spiral tradition). Unlike Nasca valley-floor trapezoid, Chaviña East uses puna varnished pavement subtraction exposing yellow lahar ash; drone lidar 2023 shows avenues follow 201° azimuth to Misti volcanic peak sightline.
Radiocarbon on avenue border charcoal: 720±35 CE (Wari). Functions as puna caravan pascana marking plus ritual apacheta pilgrimage on Puquio–Nazca transverse.
Why it mattersOnly high-puna (>3800 m) avenue-radiating geoglyph centre linking Nazca valley tradition to puna apacheta ritual — Wari transversal anchor.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Misti 201° azimuth vs local Nevado Carhuarazo sightline
Theories
- 01Wari state road engineering superposition on earlier Siguas herder marks
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.200 BCE – 800 CE (Siguas–Nazca to Wari 720 CE)
- Period
- Early Intermediate to Middle Horizon (Siguas–Nazca–Wari)
- Culture
- Lucanas puna Siguas–Nazca–Wari (Puquio transect)
- Builders
- Chaviña puna herder–caravaneers + Wari road engineers
- Purpose
- Puna pascana caravan marker and apacheta pilgrimage centre on Puquio–Nazca transverse
- Abandoned
- c.900 CE (Wari collapse)
- Rediscovered
- 1972 Peruvian air survey; 2023 drone lidar east extension 38 figures
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
200 BCE
Earliest camelid figures Siguas
720 CE
Wari radiocarbon avenue 720±35
2023
Lidar maps 3.2 km avenue network
On the ground
Structures & features
15.0800° S · 73.8200° W · 3980 m · 3 mapped features
Chaviña East Apacheta Hub (8 m)
earthworkCentral 8 m apacheta with libation pit and 3.2 km radiating avenues
15.0810° S · 73.8210° WCondor Zoomorph (44 m)
geoglyph44-m condor with extended wings, lahar ash interior
15.0780° S · 73.8190° WSpiral Field (12 spirals)
geoglyph6–11 m spirals Chavín–Recuay lineage, varnished pavement cut
15.0830° S · 73.8230° W