The Sechín Alto Complex in the Pre-Hispanic Central Andes

The monumental complex of Sechín Alto in the Casma Valley of the north coast of Peru represents one of the earliest complex societies in the Americas. Carbon dates indicate that Sechín Alto began at the end of the third millennium bc, reached its architectural height in the middle of the second, and lasted for several more centuries. The massive platform mound at Sechín Alto measured approximately 250 × 300 m and stood 35 m high. Several other contemporary sites located within 1 km of Sechín Alto combined with other mounds, plazas, performance spaces, and monuments that spread over an area of several square kilometres. This article reviews the architecture, economy, and ritual practices of the Sechín Alto complex during its rise and apogee in the middle of the second millennium.