Huamachuco

CERRO CACAñAN

In August 1983 we completely excavated two qollqa (A and B on Figure 7-2) on Cerro Cacañan and partially excavated one of the larger buildings (C).

Qollqa A had exterior measurements of 5.25 x 3.90 m; its walls were 50 to 55 cm thick and were built on bedrock. The interior was filled in with relatively loose rock that apparently served as floor and subfloor (there was no recognizable prepared floor surface).

Three canals, about 40 cm wide and averaging 40 cm deep, were built into the fill. Each ran across the width of the building, parallel with the slope (Figure 7-4). The sides of the canals were lined with stones, but the bottom was unlined. The lining reached bedrock at the downslope end but not at the upslope end, giving the canal a greater inclination than the hill itself. The canals seem to have been open to the exterior on both ends. In two cases there were lintel stones that partially defined openings through the upslope wall, and the canal linings partially defined openings through the downslope wall. Because no suitable sized roofing stones were found in the excavation, the canals were probably roofed with poles and floored with rocks and earth.

Qollqa B was similar to Qollqa A. Its external measurements were 4.95 x 3.60 m; the walls were less well-preserved, but construction was the same. Qollqa B had three canals with an average width of 35 cm. The walls lining the canals were less straight and less parallel then those in Qollqa A. One canal had well-preserved openings through both external walls. The openings of the other two canals were destroyed.

We partially excavated one of the larger buildings near the qollqa (Figure 7-5). The building was selected because it had fewer eucalyptus trees planted in it and there appeared to be a small interior room in one corner. Although only a single doorway is preserved, there were probably two, placed symmetrically in the downslope wall. The preserved doorway was 1.02 m wide, its sill was about 75 cm above the exterior ground level, and there were no steps leading to it.

Thinking that Building C might be a larger qollqa variant, we started with a trench intended to find evidence of any ventilation or drainage system; neither was present. In the northeast corner, we found part of a bench, which was 18 cm high, faced with stone, and filled with rubble. It was partially destroyed along the east wall but may have originally joined the wall stub located at the south jamb of the door. Because the bench was destroyed inside the door, it is difficult to relate the doorsill to interior floor levels. However, it is likely that the doorsill was at bench level rather than floor level. Where the bench was not preserved, we excavated to bedrock. The floor matrix was 18 cm of compacted reddish clay and earth; below this was about 16 cm of sterile loose gray soil that was probably artificial fill. The walls rested on bedrock.

We then excavated in the vicinity of the room in the southwest corner. Its floor was raised about 30 cm above the floor of the building and was composed of the same material. The ballast below the floor consisted of small rocks and earth. The walls of the room rested on the compact layer corresponding to the building floor. Alongside the room was a raised bin with a floor 67 cm above that of the building. There was also a short section of very low wall that may have been the foundation for a stub wall. Finally, there was a circular pit dug into the floor along the central axis of the building. The pit was 20 cm in diameter, lined with angular stones, and filled with 79 river rolled cobbles.

Suspecting that this stone-lined and cobble-filled pit might be the base for a post, we excavated a trench across the northern half of the building looking for a similar feature. We found a second stone-lined pit with three river-rolled cobbles. The significance of the cobbles is probably that they allowed drainage away from the post and inhibited water movement from the ground into the bottom of the post. We continued the trench to the west wall that rested on bedrock at a higher level than the east wall. In fact, the base of the west wall was 14 cm higher than the surface of the bench along the east wall; the floor sloped to accommodate the change in bedrock level.

Because of the two postholes, it seems obvious that this building had a single large, pyramidal roof; the room and bin in the southwest corner were probably not separately roofed. The function of the building is unclear. There were no obvious domestic features such as hearths and grinding stones. One hundred eighteen sherds were found, but nearly half of these can be attributed to only two vessels: a shallow bowl and a large jar, both in the local Late Intermediate Period style.5 A typical Inka rope nubbin found in the building have been attached to the large jar.

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