El Intermedio Temprano y las relaciones sociales en el extremo norte de los Andes centrales. Informe preliminar de las excavaciones en Cerro La Plaza de Portachuelo de Culucán, provincia de Ayabaca, Piura

The PAPAYA archaeological investigation project excavated the multicomponent site Cerro La Plaza de Portachuelo de Culucán in Ayabaca, Peru with the goals of understanding the pre-Inca occupations of the Piura highlands in the extreme north of the Central Andes and interactions with the societies of the Northern Andes. Contrary to ex- pectations of an Early Horizon (800-200 BCE) occupation, the contexts, material culture, and radiocarbon dates indicate occupation from the 3rd/4th through 7th centuries CE. The characteristics of the site and its material assemblage suggest relations with the Vicús culture of the Alto Piura, the northern coast of Peru and the southern part of Ecuador. Stronger connections are present at a regional level with the cemeteries excavated by Mario Polia close to the village of Olleros.