The Casma Valley, a coastal valley situated about north of
Lima,
Peru, lies along the Casma River, between the towns
Chimbote and
Huarmey. It is notable for the grand scale of numerous
archaeological sites of the
Casma/Sechin culture, including stone-faced pyramids and the Thirteen Towers of
Chankillo.
Sechín Alto is the largest American construction of the second millennium BCE.
Cerro Sechin is also from the Sechin culture.
Huaynuná (Coordinates ) The coastal pre-ceramic site of Huaynuná (Huaynuma), 13 km north of the Casma Valley, has also been investigated by archaeologists. An early, public religious tradition of architecture is represented there by a large elevated structure built on a hillside. This is a precursor to the much larger Initial Period religious mounds on the coast of Peru. Evidence from Huaynuná, as well as the dates from other Casma Valley sites, indicate that larger-scale irrigation agriculture, use of pottery, and weaving did not appear in the Casma Valley area until about 1600 BC, some 200 years later than similar developments on the central coast of Peru. Also, at Huaynuma, potatoes dating to about 2000 BC have been found. This is one of the earliest such discoveries in South America. == See also ==