Yaynu (Hispanicized spellings ''Yaino, Yayno'') is an archaeological site in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. It lies in the

Ancash Region Ancash (; ) is a department and region in western Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Huaraz, ...

, Pomabamba Province, Huayllan District. It is a hilltop settlement that is considered the most important evidence of the so-called

Recuay culture The Recuay culture was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian culture of highland Peru that flourished from 200 BCE to 600 CE and was related to the Moche culture of the north coast. It is named after the Recuay District, in the Recuay Province, in ...

in the Ancash Region. The site was declared a National Cultural Heritage by ''Resolución Directoral Nacional'' No. 682-INC-2004 on June 17, 2004. The stone constructions of Yaynu are situated about 17 km south of

Pomabamba Pomabamba ( Quechua Pumapampa, ''puma'' cougar, ''pampa'' large plain, "cougar plain") is a town in the Pomabamba District of the Pomabamba Province in the Ancash Region of Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in west ...

at a height of more than , on the northern slope of Pañahirka ''(Pañajirca)''. Yaynu is the largest known Recuay site and is best described as a fortified hilltop town. The area of the town is about 25 ha at its core. When counting associated defenses, corrals and terracing, the area is over 105 ha. The central sector is bounded by perimeter walls and long trenches. The buildings are of stone and densely built up.

History

Survey, mapping and sampling excavations show that its primary occupation dates to cal. AD 400–800, by groups of the Recuay tradition. At the centre of a network articulating small nearby farming villages, Yaynu features an impressive series of natural and built defensive strategies. These worked in concert to protect the community from outsiders and keep internal groups physically segregated. The fortifications are discussed in relation to local political organization and a martial aesthetic in northern Peru during the period. Recuay elite identity and monumentalism arose out of local corporate traditions of hilltop dwelling and defence.

References

External links

Yaino ruins
flickrhivemind.net Archaeological sites in the Department of Ancash Archaeological sites in Peru {{Peru-archaeology-stub