Chavín de Huántar
Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site located in the Andes of Peru, recognized as a significant center for the Chavín civilization, often regarded as one of the earliest Andean cultures. Situated at an altitude of 10,227 feet (3,117 meters), it features monumental architecture, including the Old Temple and New Temple, which are characterized by U-shaped platforms and intricate passageways that create acoustics reminiscent of a roaring jaguar. The site is renowned for its artistic style, prominently featuring human-feline motifs, which reflects the civilization's shamanistic beliefs and rituals.
Chavín de Huántar served as a pilgrimage and oracle center during the Early Horizon period (1000 to 300 B.C.E.), leading to its influence across the Andean region. The distinctive art style, noted for abstract and two-dimensional representations, includes elements such as double-profile heads and repetitive motifs, conveying religious ideologies tied to transformation and supernatural power. Excavations have revealed both residential and ceremonial areas, indicating a complex society that practiced advanced architectural techniques and corporate labor. Chavín de Huántar's legacy continues to shape the understanding of early Andean cultures and their spiritual practices.
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Chavín de Huántar
Related civilization: Chavín.
Date: 900-200 b.c.e.
Locale: Callejon de Huaylas Mountains, Peru
Chavín de Huántar
Chavín de Huántar (chah-VEEN day WAHN-tahr) was the capital of the Chavín civilization, once considered the earliest Andean civilization, but reevaluated as a significant religious site as evidenced by the widespread copying of its distinctive artistic style focused on the human-feline motif. The Paraíso complex (or El Paraíso), consisting of Sechín Alto, Huaco Los Reyes, and eight other sites on the north and central coast of Peru actually predate Chavín de Huántar and exhibit earlier evidence of monumental architecture, corporate labor, and high population and are together considered the earliest of the ancient Andean civilizations.
The site of Chavín de Huántar is at 10,227 feet (3,117 meters) in the Callejon de Huaylas of the Andes in Peru. Chavín was excavated by Richard Burger, who found a residential zone in addition to the monumental architecture for which the site is famous. The monumental core of Chavín de Huántar, termed the Castillo (castle), consists of the Old Temple, which is a U-shaped platform facing east, with a circular, sunken plaza. The New Temple, added later, consists of a U-shaped platform facing north, with a square, sunken platform. Fully 25 percent of the platform consists of hidden passageways on two levels. A series of vents and drains is located under the plazas and when these are filled with water, the temple appears to roar like a jaguar, according to Peruvian archaeologist Luis Lumbreras, who has conducted experiments. The central passageways form a cross where a statue called the Lanzón, or “smiling god,” is located. The Lanzón is a human figure carved in low-relief, with the snarling mouth and teeth of a feline. The figure extends to both levels. A hole to the outside may have facilitated its use as an oracle.
Chavín de Huántar was the center of the Early Horizon period (1000 to 300 b.c.e.) art style that spread throughout Peru. It was dominated by the human-feline motif, but raptors, fish, and caymen were also depicted. The style is abstract and two-dimensional. Features of the art style include profile depictions, reversible organization, double-profile heads, bilateral symmetry, a cluttered appearance, and repetitive motifs. The meaning of the iconography is related to the ideology of shamanism, in which a ritual leader is temporarily transformed during a ceremony into a powerful creature and assumes supernatural power. The spread of the Chavín art style is explained by Burger and others as the result of Chavín de Huántar’s importance as a pilgrimage and oracle center. The art is an expression of the religion and was used throughout the Andean region wherever suboracles were erected.
Bibliography
Burger, Richard. Chavín. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1992.
Moseley, Michael. The Incas and Their Ancestors. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1992.