Acaray

Infobox Archaeological Site Peru
site = Acaray
native_name =
other_name =


imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Fortified hilltop at Acaray


mapsize = 200px
map_caption = Location of Acaray in Peru
locator_x = 95
locator_y = 165
latd = 11
latm = 4
lats = 0
latNS = S
longd = 77
longm = 33
longs = 0
longEW = W
civilization = Not named
era = Early Horizon, Late Intermediate Period
period = 900-200 BC, AD 1000-1470
country = PER
region = Lima
area = 230,000 m²
elevation = 250 m
web =

Acaray, also known as the Fortress of Acaray, is an archaeological site located in the Huaura River Valley on the near north coast of Peru (or the Norte Chico). The impressive fortress is located on a series of three hilltops, each ringed with a number of perimeter defensive walls that have parapets and bastions, which stand as testaments to the military nature of the site. Surrounding the hilltop fortress are lower-lying areas of occupation and extensive cemeteries that have been heavily looted.

History of Research

Attention was called to the site early on by the German archaeologist Hans Horkheimer, who wrote about Acaray in 1962 in the Peruvian magazine, "Caretas", published in Lima. Calling it the "Fortaleza de Huaura" (the Fortress of Huaura), he deemed Acaray to be a true fortress, unlike the more well-known neighboring site of Paramonga in the Pativilca River Valley, whose defensive nature has been questioned. Horkheimer noted the abundance of rolled river cobbles on the surface of the site which were likely used as projectiles or slingstonesHorkheimer (1962). During the 1970s interest in Acaray increased and the first work by archaeologists was initiated at the fortress. Peruvian archaeologist Mercédes Cárdenas, of the Riva Agüero Institute, excavated at Acaray, among other coastal sites, as part of a larger project to understand the use of marine resources in the past on the Peruvian coast and to obtain radiocarbon dates. She led a team that surveyed the Huaura Valley and excavated at several sites, including the hilltop fort at Acaray Cárdenas (1977). Around the same time, Peruvian archaeologist Arturo Ruiz Estrada, of the National University José Faustino Sánchez Carrión, and Peruvian engineer Domingo Torero visited the fortress and wrote a detailed account describing the architectural features of the siteRuiz Estrada and Torero (1978). In 2004, North American archaeologist Margaret Brown Vega, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, began research at Acaray, carrying out intensive mapping, surface analysis, and excavations, which lasted for two years.

Notes

References

*Harvard reference
surname1=Cárdenas
given1=Mercédes
year=1977
title=Informe Preliminar del trabajo de campo en el valle de Huaura (departamento de Lima)"
place=Lima
publisher=Report submitted to the Instituto Riva-Agüero, Seminario de Arqueología, Lima, Peru
*Harvard reference
author=Horkheimer, Hans
year=1962
title=La Fortaleza de Huaura
periodical=Caretas
volume=22
issue=
pages=30,38B
*Harvard reference
surname1=Ruiz Estrada
given1=Arturo
surname2=Torero
given2=M. Domingo
year=1978
title=Acaray, Fortaleza Yunga del Valle de Huaura.
place=Huacho, Perú
publisher= Comite de Educacion de la Cooperative de Ahorro y Credito "San Bartolome"