Tripartite cosmology in Huaca Partida, lower Nepeña valley

Abstract

Located in the coastal zone of the Ancash Department and the lower valley area of Nepeña, the archaeological site of Huaca Partida is one of the area’s few ceremonial centers that contain friezes as part of their iconographic-architectural remains. Seven friezes on the external walls of the ceremonial architecture, which belonged to the Cerro Blanco Period (1100-800 B. C.), were excavated over a period of three seasons. Varying in style from painted polychromatic murals to high reliefs, these Middle Formative clay friezes are embedded within the stepped architecture of the remains (featuring at least four steps). During the Middle Formative, the southern façade of Huaca Partida showcased a cosmological scene consisting of three levels or worlds. A particularly noteworthy presence is that of the shamanic character drifting between the two upper levels, as if to show the onlooker its distinguished role and mediating capacity.