Cajamarca and Chimu: cultural connections and fluctuations in the northern highlands of Peru

Abstract

Highland influence on the coast has long been recognized in the Jequetepeque valley and surrounding areas; however, in recent years more evidence of the multidirectionality and nuances of these connections has been uncovered. Recent research at Callacpuma and the reevaluation of materials from Yanaorco, Chondorko, and the Condebamba valley shed new light on the oscillations of interregional interaction. This article presents new evidence of the presence of material culture at sites in the Cajamarca Basin that indicates at least some level of contact and influence between the Chimú and Cajamarca territories during the early part of the Middle Horizon and the Late Intermediate period. This evidence, which includes both utilitarian and fine objects, indicates fluctuating levels of cultural contact, as well as of social and political interaction, between Cajamarca and the north coast during later periods.