Surprising Offering of a Hallucinogenic Cactus Discovered in Prehispanic Temple in Lima

Chuquitanta or El Paraíso (The Paradise) are the modern names for a monumental archaeological complex located in the Chillon River valley, several kilometers north of downtown Lima and dated to the Late Archaic Period (3500-1800 BC). More specifically, different radiocarbon dates place the site to between the years 2300 and 1400 BC.

Discovered in 1950 by Louis Stumer, it was Thomas C. Patterson and Edward P. Lanning who, in 1964, managed to identify about nine structures and labelled it as a preceramic site.

A year later, in 1965, Frederic Engel conducted explorations and excavations at the site and identified another 8 buildings scattered over a large area, so he defined the site as a great architectural complex and one of the largest in ancient Peru. Subsequently, following neglect by authorities, the area began to be protected by nearby residents, although this was not enough to avoid destruction and the inevitable disappearance of the huacas.

One of the pyramids of the El Paraíso or Chuquitanta complex. (Dibojutri/CC BY-SA 3.0)