🇵🇪 Peru · Geoglyph
Palpa Lines and Geoglyphs
Paracas (800–200 BCE) to Topará (200 BCE–200 CE) to early Nazca · Paracas and Topará–Nazca
1,000 hill-crest geoglyphs (1000 BCE–800 CE) — the Paracas predecessor to Nazca on Palpa terraces.
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40 places to sift through. Narrow by kind, country, period or how firmly each one is established — contested and pseudoarchaeological claims are labelled here, never hidden.
🇵🇪 Peru · Geoglyph
Paracas (800–200 BCE) to Topará (200 BCE–200 CE) to early Nazca · Paracas and Topará–Nazca
1,000 hill-crest geoglyphs (1000 BCE–800 CE) — the Paracas predecessor to Nazca on Palpa terraces.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Early Intermediate Nazca 1 BCE–500 CE with Initial 400 BCE foundations · Nazca (with Paracas antecedent)
Sector Y 500 m west of Great Pyramid at Cahuachi: adobe (adobito) pyramid 8 m high 40×35 m base with plastered terrace for feasting middens and Paracas-Cahuachi polychrome offering cache (head jars).
🇵🇪 Peru · Geoglyph
Early Intermediate Period, Paracas to Nazca culture · Paracas / Nazca
Over 300 geometric and figurative geoglyphs etched by removing dark desert pavement to reveal light subsoil across 450 km² of arid Pampas, including 1.8 km hummingbird, monkey, spider, and trapezoids…
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BCE) or regional equivalent · Old Kingdom
Tucume Pyramid Huaca Larga South Ramp in Lambayeque, Túcume, Peru is a Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BCE) or regional equivalent pyramid attributed to Old Kingdom.
🇵🇪 Peru · Hydraulic works
Inca Empire with antecedents Wari/Tiwanaku (~1000–1532 CE; Inca 1438–1532 CE) · Inca (with pre-Inca antecedents)
The backbone of Tawantinsuyu, Qhapaq Ñan runs 6,000 km along the Andean crest from Colombia to Chile, with east–west transversal roads totalling over 23,000 km.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Moche Early Intermediate 100 BCE–800 CE · Moche (Chicama Valley)
Moche pyramid 30 m, Lady of Cao tomb 400 CE proving queenship.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Late Archaic 3000–2500 BCE · Norte Chico (Caral maritime)
Coastal port six pyramids, fish-for-cotton, 3000–2500 BCE.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age
Sechin Bajo Plaza Circular in Ancash, Sechín Bajo, Peru is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Late Preceramic Norte Chico, c.3800–2800 BCE (peak 1800 BCE) · Norte Chico (Vichama)
Templo Mayor at Vichama (c.3800–3300 BCE with major Late Preceramic build c.2800 BCE, Norte Chico), 50 × 70 m base, 16 m high terraced pyramid with summit plazas and elaborate stucco reliefs of…
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Late Archaic 3550–2500 BCE · Norte Chico (Caral)
Caral network city 54 ha 3550–2500 BCE, 10 plazas.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Late Preceramic (Norte Chico late to crisis) · Norte Chico / Caral-related (Vichama culture)
Late Preceramic city Vichama (3800–1700 BCE) Huaura Valley: 28 m Building A pyramid famed for 1700 BCE drought/starvation friezes gaping figures — Late Preceramic collapse mural.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Lima 200–600 → Wari → Ichma 1100–1470 → Inca 1470–1533 (pyramids Ichma period) · Lima → Wari → Ichma → Inca
Pan-Andean oracle sanctuary 200–1533 with 17 ramp pyramids (Huaca del Sol Inca? Not, Pachacamac pyramids): large stepped terraces with central ramp (Ichma style 1100–1470), Inca Temple of the Sun 30…
🇵🇪 Peru · Tumulus
Chalcolithic (4500–3300 BCE) · Chalcolithic
Low Burial Mound in Ancash, Peru is a Chalcolithic (4500–3300 BCE) tumulus attributed to Chalcolithic culture.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Early Nazca / Protopalpa 400 BCE–450 CE (peak 100 BCE–300 CE) · Nazca (Paracas → Nazca)
Ceremonial capital of Nazca culture (400 BCE–450 CE) with 40 adobe mounds over 150 ha, including Great Pyramid 28 m high (150 × 100 m base, 3 platforms) and Temple Hill pyramid 20 m.
🇵🇪 Peru · Hydraulic works
Nasca culture, Early Intermediate (~500 BCE – 600 CE; puquios ~300–600 CE) · Nasca (Nazca)
Unique Andean hydraulic analog to Persian qanats: 36 puquios, each a stone-lined infiltration gallery tapping sub-river gravel aquifers, ventilated by corkscrew stone spirals descending to the…
🇵🇪 Peru · Hydraulic works
Late Horizon Inca Imperial 1450 CE · Inca (Quechua) imperial engineers
12 Inca puquios gallery aqueducts (17 km, 1450 CE) of the Achirana canal, Inca ashlar aqueduct feeding Ica Valley.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Early Intermediate 400 BCE–450 CE (Paracas–Proto-Nazca to Early Nazca, peak 100 BCE–450 CE) · Nazca (Nasca, south coast)
Capital and pilgrimage center of Nazca culture (400 BCE–500 CE) – 24 km² desert metropolis with 34+ pyramidal adobe mounds (Great Pyramid 22 m high, 100×150 m base; Orange Pyramid), plazas (Great…
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Late Preceramic / Cotton Preceramic (3500–1800 BCE) · Andean Late Preceramic (Norte Chico–Chillón tradition, El Paraíso)
Late Preceramic mega-complex (3500–1800 BCE) in Chillón Valley, 58 ha, 11 pyramids, largest 100×100 m.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) · Bronze Age
Kuelap South Citadel Wall Bastion in Amazonas, Kuelap, Peru is a Bronze Age (3000–1200 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Late Preceramic to Early Formative (Jaén phase) · Marañón/Cajamarca Cupisnique-related / Early Formative
Amazon-slope temple Montegrande (3000–800 BCE) Jaén Amojú: 72 m spiral pyramid with Chamber of Death (40 burials) over 3000 BCE circular temple — Cajamarca Formative spiral tradition.
🇵🇪 Peru · Earthwork
Chalcolithic (regional) · Chalcolithic
Little Cuzco Sanctuary North — Cuzco (55-28) at Cuzco, Peru is a Chalcolithic (regional) earthwork of the Chalcolithic tradition, built c. 1800 BCE for sanctuary and associated settlement.
🇵🇪 Peru · Earthwork
Medieval (regional) · Medieval
Northern Lima Village Outer — Lima (56-47) at Lima, Peru is a Medieval (regional) earthwork of the Medieval tradition, built c. 800 BCE for village and associated settlement.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Late Preceramic–Initial Period 3000–2500 BCE · Marañón Amazon-Andes (Jaén pre-Carral)
5300-year spiral temple in Amazonian Jaén with world's oldest cacao 5300 BP and Maltese cross hearth.
🇵🇪 Peru · Archaeological wonder
Middle Sicán to Chimú 700–1375 CE · Sicán (Lambayeque) then Chimú
Golden Priestess tomb within twin truncated pyramids, 700–1375 CE.