the quiet revolution

The lower Rimac River valley contains a large quantity of prehispanic relics, one of which is the Maranga architectural complex from the Lima culture (0-600 AD), which covers an area of 1.5 km from north to south,and 1 km from east to west: a zone now contained within the avenues OR Benavides in the north, La Marnia in the south, Universitaria to the east and Faucett to the west. ...the Maranga complex consisted of 16 buildings, and of the 7 which are found within the University grounds the Huaca [pyramid temple - T] San Marcos was probably the principal building. Construction likely began in the late stage of this culture, when maximum development levels were reached.

These archaeological remains were described and studied as much by travellers as by archaeologists such as Hutchinson (1873), Meddendorf (1894), who developed a plan of the buildings, identifying them by number, Max Uhle (1905) and Jijon & Caamano (1025); the last studies were carried out under Doctor Ruth Shady (2000).

The Lima culture was characterized principally for its monumental architecture, constructed using cobbles, earth and sand, forming superimposed structures and building walls and floors using clay and mud-brick. The oldest structures were made of hand-moulded mud bricks, but by the end of the early-intermediate period they had incorporated rammed earth.

In much of the ceramics, decorations were geometric, consisting of red, black and white patterns, which can be divided into two phases: the early phase known as Playa Grande or Interlocking, where the basic design is interlaces stylized fish with triangular heads; and the second, later phase called Maranga or Cajamarquilla, where the design uses simple dashed geometric patterns made with an orange paste and fines (Nieveria style), with the latter foreign elements related to the southern coast and highlands (Lubreras 1974).

In much of the textiles, the designs are similar to those used for ceramics. Burials in the Lima culture were of bodies layed out on litters or the bare earth [in contrast to Inca culture where bodies were placed into the foetal position and wrapped in textiles prior to burial - T].

Although the archaeological complex belongs to the Lima culture, the huaca contains material elements from later times, such as the Ichma culture [Also pre-Inca, 1 110 - 1 440 AD - T]