﻿A 
  CULTURE 
  SEQUENCE 
  FOR 
  THE 
  NORTH 
  COAST 
  OF 
  PERU 
  

  

  By 
  Rafael 
  Larco 
  Hoyle 
  

  

  THE 
  CUPISNIQUE 
  CULTURE 
  

   GEOGRAPHY 
  

  

  Cupisnique 
  pottery 
  was 
  first 
  discovered 
  by 
  the 
  author, 
  who 
  found 
  

   it 
  only 
  in 
  sherds, 
  which 
  were 
  very 
  numerous, 
  in 
  the 
  Cupisnique 
  

   Valley 
  (map 
  1, 
  No. 
  2), 
  located 
  between 
  the 
  Jequetepeque 
  and 
  Chicama 
  

   Valleys 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Coast 
  of 
  Peru 
  . 
  The 
  name 
  Cupisnique 
  was 
  selected 
  

   to 
  designate 
  the 
  pottery 
  style 
  and 
  the 
  culture. 
  Cupisnique 
  culture 
  

   graves 
  in 
  the 
  Chicama 
  Valley 
  are 
  located 
  at 
  the 
  following 
  sites: 
  

   Palenque, 
  Barbacoa, 
  Salinar, 
  and 
  the 
  haciendas 
  of 
  Sausal, 
  Gasnape, 
  

   Roma, 
  Santa 
  Clara, 
  Casa 
  Grande, 
  and 
  Salamanca 
  y 
  Mocollope. 
  

  

  Outside 
  of 
  the 
  Chicama 
  Valley 
  isolated 
  Cupisnique 
  finds 
  have 
  been 
  

   made 
  in 
  Pacopampa, 
  Pacasmayo, 
  Piura, 
  Lambayeque, 
  Chao, 
  and 
  

   Santa. 
  The 
  specimens 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  non-Chicama 
  sites, 
  although 
  

   similar 
  to 
  the 
  Cupisnique 
  style, 
  differ 
  in 
  distinct 
  and 
  peculiar 
  char- 
  

   acteristics. 
  1 
  

  

  CULTURAL 
  AND 
  CHRONOLOGICAL 
  FOSITION 
  

  

  Previous 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  Cupisnique 
  cemetery 
  at 
  

   Barbacoa, 
  in 
  1939, 
  the 
  occasional 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  style, 
  in 
  pottery 
  

   or 
  stonework, 
  which 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Chicama 
  region, 
  were 
  classified 
  

   as 
  "Chavin" 
  after 
  the 
  Highland 
  temple 
  site 
  of 
  Chavin 
  de 
  Huantar. 
  

   The 
  stone 
  sculpture 
  at 
  this 
  site 
  bears 
  a 
  stylistic 
  relationship 
  to 
  the 
  

   Coastal 
  finds. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  author, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  

   Cupisnique 
  culture 
  had 
  its 
  origin 
  on 
  the 
  Coast 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   Andes. 
  He 
  believes 
  that 
  the 
  important 
  site 
  in 
  the 
  Nepena 
  Valley 
  was 
  

   the 
  principal 
  religious 
  center 
  in 
  primitive 
  Peru 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  feline 
  

   motif 
  in 
  decorative 
  art 
  radiated 
  throughout 
  all 
  Perti. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  be 
  emphasized 
  that, 
  in 
  considering 
  these 
  particular 
  forms 
  

   of 
  the 
  feline 
  motif, 
  we 
  are 
  probably 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  symbols 
  of 
  a 
  

   religious 
  cult 
  which 
  was 
  embraced 
  by 
  various 
  peoples. 
  The 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  local 
  expressions 
  of 
  the 
  feline 
  motif 
  as 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  art 
  of 
  

   Paracas, 
  Pacopampa, 
  and 
  Chongoyape 
  are 
  an 
  evidence 
  of 
  this. 
  

  

  ' 
  A 
  type 
  of 
  pottery 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  Viru 
  Valley, 
  resembling 
  Cupisnique, 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  "Viru-Cupis- 
  

   nicoid" 
  by 
  the 
  author. 
  It 
  appears 
  likely 
  that 
  this 
  type 
  is 
  a 
  fusion 
  of 
  the 
  Salinar 
  culture 
  and 
  Cupisnique 
  

   influence. 
  

  

  149 
  

  

  