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Embedded religiousness and the Kotosh religious tradition in highland Peru: the site of La Seductora

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2023

Christian Mesia-Montenegro Open the ORCID record for Christian Mesia-Montenegro [Opens in a new window]  and
Angel Sanchez-Borjas
Christian Mesia-Montenegro*
Affiliation:
Dirección de Investigación, Innovación y Responsabilidad Social, Universidad Privada del Norte, Lima, Perú
Angel Sanchez-Borjas
Affiliation:
Maestría en Estudios Andinos, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Perú
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ christian.mesia@upn.edu.pe
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Abstract

Religion played a key role in the social organisation and political authority of early Andean societies. Excavations at La Seductora in Peru have identified a circular structure with a central hearth and an underground ventilation shaft. The authors argue that the structure belongs to the Kotosh religious tradition, which dominated the central Andes during the Late Archaic and Formative periods (2800–550 BC). Probably representing a small shrine for use by local families, the authors situate La Seductora within the context of power and religiosity in Andean society, providing a model of relevance to similar contexts elsewhere in the world.

Keywords

AndesLate ArchaicFormativeritual structuressocial complexitypolitical authoritycorporate architecture
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 97 , Issue 392 , April 2023 , pp. 367 - 385
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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