Peruvian archaeologists have announced a major discovery in the Chicama Valley: a previously undocumented Chimú geoglyph, a ceremonial temple, and an expansive agricultural complex spanning more than 100 hectares.
The findings significantly deepen understanding of territorial planning, agricultural production, and ritual life within the Chimú civilisation.
The research was conducted by the Chicama Archaeological Program in a sector north of the Quebrada del Oso zone, near Chicama Pueblo. Although the area had been noted by scholars in the 1970s and 1980s, it had never been systematically documented using modern technologies such as drone-based aerial mapping, which enabled high-resolution digital recording.
At the centre of the discovery is a geoglyph stretching at least two kilometres. Formed by aligned stone accumulations, the feature cuts across ancient ravines in a straight trajectory, visually comparable to the Nazca Lines.
Researchers interpret it as a ritual pathway linking the fortified settlement of Cerro Lescano with agricultural fields and extending toward Cerro Tres Cruces. The alignment suggests the integration of sacred geography into productive landscapes, possibly connecting two revered hills considered local apus, or sacred mountains.
Equally significant is the scale of the agricultural infrastructure. Investigations in the Pampas de Lescano sector identified roughly 100 hectares of cultivated fields—substantially expanding previous estimates for the valley. The fields display varied configurations, including serpentine and comb-shaped furrows, and are associated with secondary irrigation canals branching from the Great Summit Canal. Stone hoes and other agricultural tools have been recovered on site.
The complex also features a quadrangular stone platform measuring approximately 40 by 50 metre and rising up to three metre high, oriented north in accordance with Chimú architectural norms. In front lies a large plaza measuring about 100 by 80 metres, suggesting a ceremonial space capable of accommodating substantial gatherings. Surface finds of classic Chimú ceramics date the principal occupation to AD 1100-1470, with possible continuity into the Inca period.
Soil samples from the fields are undergoing phytolith and pollen analysis to confirm crop production, likely including maize, squash, and beans.
Researchers warn that modern infrastructure projects and private land use threaten the site. They emphasise the urgency of documentation, describing the work as “emergency archaeology” aimed at preserving knowledge of a landscape where religion, political authority, and agricultural production were tightly interwoven.
Header Image Credit : Chicama Archaeological Program
Sources : Peruvian State
