The Kotosh Religious Tradition is a term used by archaeologists to refer to the ritual buildings that were constructed in the mountain drainages of the Peruvian Andes between circa 3000 and c. 1800 BC
Model of the Kotosh site in the Kotosh Museum
The Chavín culture was a pre-Columbian civilization, developed in the northern Andean highlands of Peru around 900 BCE, ending around 250 BCE. It extended its influence to other civilizations along th
Kotosh Religious Tradition
…In spite of this, all these cases of highland preceramic public architecture are remarkably similar. Kotosh tradition shows numerous links with the Chavín culture that emerged at most of these sites subsequently. Three cultural phases which preceded the Chavín culture were identified at Kotosh, and at other related…
Chavín Gold Crown Formative Epoch 1200-300 BCE Larco Museum Collection, Lima.
Incised Strombus-Shell Trumpet, 400-200 B.C.E, Brooklyn Museum. This shell trumpet was probably made for ceremonial use. The incised designs depict a person of high rank, indicated by his facial tattoos and ankle ornament, playing a shell trumpet. The figure is surrounded by snakes, including one that emanates from the instrument. The twisting and intertwined snakes may indicate the power of the trumpet to communicate with supernatural beings.
The Lanzón at Chavín, still image from a video of a photo-textured point cloud using 3D scanner data collected by nonprofit CyArk.
Chavín Feline-and-Cactus Stirrup Vessel, Horizon/Early Intermediate