The Rediscovery of Huaca Pintada

Why Traditional Ecological Knowledge Matters Within Archaeological Environments in Peru

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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 Inoñán or the Chapoñán 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.