Marcaya is the archaeological ruins of an Early Nasca civilization site, located in the Yunga ecological zone of the Andean foothills at an elevation of some 1000 meters above sea level. Radiocarbon dates and ceramic pottery styles suggest an occupation between ~AD 370-420.
The site consists of over 70 structures including small circular houses and attached patios. The houses are between about 3 and 5 meters in diameter and were built of field stones, some of which were worked, set together with mud mortart. The walls were 1-1.5 meters in height.
Attached patios are oval areas up to 14 meters in length surrounded by a wall. The houses are grouped in 23 clusters or patio groups--patio groups are most likely where the household activities were organized; the domestic unit separated from others and self-sufficient with regards to personal economies.
Subsistence and Economy
Most patio groups contained evidence for food processing and storage, as well as lithic production and weaving. Based on the size of the spindle whorls, the weaving was probably camelid hair--llamas and alpacas.
Interestingly, evidence for pottery production was not uncovered at Marcaya, although abundant pottery objects were, of both polychrome and plain wares.
Sources
This glossary entry is part of the About.com Guide to the Nazca Civilization and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Each of the links below leads to a free abstract, but payment is needed for the full article unless otherwise noted.
Vaughn, Kevin J. 2004 Households, Crafts, and Feasting in the Ancient Andes: The Village Context of Early Nasca Craft Consumption. Latin American Antiquity 15(1):61-88.
