Huaricanga is one of several large Late Archaic sites in the Pativilca and Fortaleza Valleys in the Norte Chico region of north-central coastal Peru. Excavations by Jonathan Haas, Winifred Creamer and their colleagues from 2002-2008 at 13 sites recovered very early evidence of maize as well as other domesticates and animal and fish remains. Their work focused on radiocarbon dating samples from stratified domestic refuse at two sites in particular: Huaricanga and Caballete in the Fortaleza Valley. Maize from these sites is represented by both macroremains and microremains including, phytoliths, starch grains, and pollen (Haas et al. 2013; Creamer et al. 2007). Some of the macroremains are directly dated, while most of the microremains are indirectly dated.
Beginning about 5000 years ago, Huaricanga became one of the largest Late Archaic ceremonial and residential centers in the Norte Chico region, and continued in use through to the Initial Period 3800 years ago and beyond (Piscitelli 2014). See Matthew Piscitelli's website describing recent work at the site: http://diggingperu.wordpress.com/context/.
| ID | Other ID | Type | Subtype | Uncal BP (years) | ± 1 σ (years) | Median cal BP (years) | Lower cal BP (years) | Upper cal BP (years) | δ13C | Contaminated? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 689 | AA-84576 | MicroSample | phytolith | 4330 | 180 | 4873 | 5450 | 4409 | No | |
| 688 | AA-84576 | MicroSample | starch grain | 4330 | 180 | 4873 | 5450 | 4409 | No | |
| 690 | AA-84581 | MicroSample | starch grain | 4550 | 45 | 5159 | 5312 | 4978 | No | |
| 674 | Beta-236815 | MacroSample | unknown | 3920 | 40 | 4291 | 4416 | 4154 | -11.1 | No |