Paititi — Pusharo Ridge Western Terrace at Manú Headwaters (Madre de Dios West)
Pusharo West Paititi · Paititi Western Ridge · Manú Paititi West
Hypothetical Late Horizon (?) Late Intermediate ambiguous pre-Columbian hypothesis·Hypothetical Inca refuge / pre-Inca (unvalidated)·🇵🇪 Madre de Dios / Cuzco, Manú, Pantiacolla cordillera, Pusharo ridge western slope west of petroglyphs, Peru
About
About Paititi — Pusharo Ridge Western Terrace at Manú Headwaters (Madre de Dios West)
Western Pusharo ridge hypothesis for Gran Paititi on west slope of Pusharo divide separating Pantiacolla and Manú drainages opposite 2021 east-ridge lidar block already in database, where 2022 SERNANP-requested lidar snippet showed 1.5 km rectilinear terrace edge 0.7 m high under montane forest canopy with two 10 m circular depressions and Inka-style trapezoidal niche boulder. Ground check 2022 found no masonry — only colluvial laterite and 1450 CE charcoal lens ambiguous campfire. Hypothesis contested: terrace is landslide bench of Pantiacolla sandstone, depressions are tree-throw pits, niche is natural exfoliation. Treated hypothetical pending larger lidar and excavation.
Why it mattersTests Paititi west vs east ridge models: lidar rectilinearity proves bench geometry but not masonry; depressions are tree-throw; niche exfoliation; third Pusharo ridge variant clarifies Manú Pantiacolla geoarchaeology pitfalls.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Is 1.5 km bench terrace vs landslide head scarp?
- 02Are 10 m pits pit-house vs blowdown?
Theories
- 01Pusharo west bench is colluvial landslide niche of Pantiacolla fault scarp, not Inca wall
- 02If cultural, would be pre-Inca Huaro agrarian terrace not Inca refuge
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- hypothetical 1450 CE charcoal lens if cultural, else natural Holocene bench
- Period
- Hypothetical Late Horizon (?) Late Intermediate ambiguous pre-Columbian hypothesis
- Culture
- Hypothetical Inca refuge / pre-Inca (unvalidated)
- Purpose
- Gran Paititi refuge hypothesis western variant — terrace and niche refuge claim vs natural bench
- Abandoned
- unknown leaf litter covered
- Rediscovered
- No INI lidar; 2022 ground truth by SERNANP–UNSAAC west Pusharo
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 1450 CE
Charcoal lens at ridge — if cultural terrace building, if natural montane burn
2009–2015
Jamin and Paititi seekers promote Pusharo west ridge as 'Paititi west gate'
2022
SERNANP west ridge lidar + ground truth finds 1.5 km bench but no ceramics
On the ground
Structures & features
12.7450° S · 71.3850° W · 720 m · 3 mapped features
1.5 km Rectilinear Bench (0.7 m high)
terrace1.5 km rectilinear bench 0.7 m high under montane canopy, Pantiacolla sandstone
12.7455° S · 71.3855° WCircular Depression (10 m dia.)
depression10 m circular depressions 1.5 m deep under palm litter, two pits
12.7445° S · 71.3845° WTrapezoidal Niche Boulder (2 m)
boulder2 m boulder with trapezoidal niche-like scar 0.8 m exfoliation, no dressing
12.7450° S · 71.3860° W