Excavations of Huaca Facho during the transitional period from Moche to Lambayeque: A study of the reconstruction of complex society

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19H01335
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03050:Archaeology-related
• Research Institution: Yamagata University
• Principal Investigator: Matsumoto Go 山形大学, 人文社会科学部, 教授 (80788141)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: シカン文化 / モチェ文化 / ワリ文化 / カハマルカ文化 / ワカ・ファチョ / ミドルホライズン / 複合社会 / 文化的折衷

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Peruvian north coast is an area where famous complex societies in the history of Andean civilization, such as Moche, Sican, and Chimu, waxed and waned. After the decline of Moche, there is a data gap (AD 850-950) before the rise of Sican. In this study, aiming at filling this data gap, we conducted pedestrian surveys in the northern north coast of Peru as well as stratigraphic excavations at Huaca Facho, one of the few archaeological sites that existed during this period. As a result, it has become clear that in the mutual relationships among the contemporaneous societies such as Moche, Wari, and Cajamarca, syncretism occurred, in which the cultural elements of each culture were fused and/or reconfigured, eventually resulting in a completely new cultural style that later became Sican Culture.

Free Research Field

人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、モチェからシカンへの移行期に焦点をあて、シカン発生の動態的プロセスを明らかにすることを目指した。広域踏査と層位発掘によってデータの空白期間を埋めると同時に、ある複合的社会が衰退・崩壊した後に、同一地域で再び社会的複雑さが増加し、新しい複合的社会が誕生するまでの動態的プロセスを明らかにすることに努めた。これにより、我々がこれまで行ってきたシカンの最盛期から衰退期までの研究と地続きになり、北海岸北部の歴史を1000年以上にわたって長期的に見通すことが可能となった。これまで個別に語られてきた二つの複合的社会の発生から衰退までの一連のサイクルを結びつけて説明できる。