Some approaches to the Middle Horizon and the Wari presence in the Utcubamba basin (Amazonas-Peru)

Abstract

Archaeological research specifically focused on the study of the Middle Horizon (600/650-1000 A.D.) in the Utcubamba basin (Amazon - Peru) is still very scarce, and therefore so are those related to the Wari phenomenon in this area. However, there are different cultural materials from this period that urgently need to be investigated to contribute to a better understanding of the subject. Thus, we observe in the area orthogonal architecture and movable objects such as ceramics, lithics and metal clothing, whose characteristics are related to the Wari phenomenon, many of which have gone almost unnoticed in the academic field or have been scarcely mentioned. In this sense, in this article we describe these cultural materials and in some cases the context in which they were found, also generating some hypotheses in relation to the available data, in order to build an overview of the issue in question and identify the mechanisms that would have allowed interactions between the Wari society and those located in the Utcubamba basin. Likewise, this work also seeks to motivate future research on the subject.