Making Quilcapampa

Abstract

This discussion introduces Quilcapampa as a location along a pampa-spanning trail that was part of the trail networks discussed in the previous chapter. We zoom into the region around Quilcapampa in this chapter, discussing the environment and history of the Sihuas mid-valley. Although connected to other valleys in the Pacific Piedmont, Sihuas was largely isolated from the rest of Peru until the ninth century when Quilcapampa was founded. The site would be reoccupied by the end of the twelfth century and would grow to become a major habitation site by the fourteenth century. We focus on the trails running into Quilcapampa in this chapter, their associated geoglyphs, and the petroglyphs located on the cliffs below Quilcapampa. These features significantly influenced the placement of the site.