Structures

On the north side by the road an agricultural sector was encountered with a half-dozen collapsed rock structures including three structures of rounded rectangular form that may have been domestic. These three structures have walls that were constructed using a double coursed design with mortar, and the walls tilt slightly inward. Wernke (2003: 197-199) describes circular houses as being common for pastoral peoples in the higher altitude portions of the Colca valley beginning at the site Laiqa Laiqa near Tuti around 3900 masl. Rounded-rectangular structures are therefore unusual at this altitude in the valley. The double coursed walls of A03-663 measured approximately 90cm in thickness. Other possible explanations for these structures are that they served as storage silos (although the Late Horizon Qolqa storage silos are not found in the Colca valley), or these buildings could have been large burial towers. The ceramics collected in the immediate vicinity of these buildings span the Late Prehispanic with a single local Middle Horizon sherd, several LIP Collagua sherds, and Collagua-Inka LH sherds.