Download - Chavín de Huántar Project Summary
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7/30/2019 Chavn de Huntar Project Summary
1/2Global Heritage Fund, Current Projects
Site Signifcance
Chavn de Huntar, which lends its name
to the rich pre-Inca Chavn culture, is one o
the oldest major cultures in Peru and thrived
between 1500 BC and 400 BC. One o the more
unique elements to Chavn was that rather
than emphasizing conquest and warare,
this seemed to be a broad-spread religious
cult whose art and style became dominant
through sophisticated convincing techniques
carried out in elaborated ceremonial centers
throughout northern Peruvian interaction
sphere. In 1985, UNESCO designated Chavn
a World Heritage site or bearing exceptional
testimony to an ancient civilization.
Chavn de Huntar is located east o Perus
Cordillera Blanca mountain chain near the
long and picturesque valley known as the
Callejn de Huylas. 250 km to the north o
Lima at an elevation o 3,180 meters, Chavn
has long been a site o Peruvian public interest
and archaeological inquiry. It is situated
in a dramatic, deep valley setting in the
uppermost Maraon River drainage into which
most large rivers o the central Andes ow,
with high glacier-capped summits hoveringabove. Although Chavn was clearly a center
o trade and exchange, its location required
ancient visitors to undertake an exceptionally
demanding journey. Today, Chavn is served by
a recently-upgraded, mostly asphalt roadway.
Project Goals
GHF is working to integrate conservation,
investigation and sustainable community
development in order to ensure long-term site
appreciation, preservation and sustainability.
The conservation team is stabilizing primary
monuments, repairing underground structures,
documenting the site with high precision
instruments, locating underground structures
with non-intrusive technologies, revealing,
assessing and when appropriate removing
post-Chavn structures to reveal original
architecture; cataloguing artiacts, and
improving site interpretation acilities, while
the local community is engaged through
conservation and crat training, employment,
tourism entrepreneurship and regular
consultations regarding the management o
the site and its environs.
Chavn de Huntar,Peru
A Pre-Columbian World Heritage Treasure
Threats
Structural WeaknessExposure
Uncontrolled Tourism
Flooding
Erosion
Start Date
2003
View o the Temple A in Chavn de Huntar. Photo by: Dr. John Rick
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7/30/2019 Chavn de Huntar Project Summary
2/2Global Heritage Fund, Current Projects
Preservation by Design
Planning
GHFs goal is to ensure critically-needed
unding and expertise or the complete
conservation and restoration o the UNESCO
World Heritage site o Chavn de Huntar
in Ancash, Peru. To that end, a Master
Conservation Plan, is nearing completion with
GHF support and will soon be submitted to
the Government o Peru or approval. GHF
has provided direct expertise or conservation
planning through its own sta and by providing
support or Peruvian conservators.
Project Partnerships
Stanord University
Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INC)
Town o Chavn de Huntar
Asociacion Ancash
Conservation Science
Chavn retains signifcant archaeological
materials that require considerable
conservation eorts to preserve or the long-
term. Features such as the monumental
buildings, Circular Plaza, and the Rocas Canal
have suered greatly rom neglect, water
penetration, coluvial and uvial action, while
the impressive and extensive underground
gallery system continues to suer damage
rom inadequate management o wet season
dampness. To mitigate these issues, GHF is
supporting eorts to reduce water penetration,
and improve ventilation and drainage to dryout the site so that preservation eorts can
advance in a stable environment.
Community
GHF is unding post-excavation conservation
and a local conservation lab, with an emphasis
on stone and ceramic artiacts. GHF hopes to
expand our current conservation unding or
the next our years or site conservation and
restoration, enabling Peruvian conservation
teams to become sel-sufcient and capable
o unsupervised conservation. Not only will
this unding provide year round employment tolocals but it will also open the doors or Chavn
artiacts, that are distributed across Peru,
to return to the newly opened sizeable local
museum. Local people are being trained and
coordinated on renewed crat production in
traditional materials, including ceramic, bone,
and stone.
Recent Accomplishments
Intensive and accurate three-dimen-
sional documentation o the site,
resulting in maps and models that orm
the basis o all scientifc work in the site.
Extensive work on revealing, stabilizing,
and overall conservation o the Circular
Plaza and surrounding area.
Extensive exposition, assessment,
and partial removal o post-Chavn
structures as deemed appropriate in
consultation with Peruvian ofcials.
Support or background studies and
expert intervention on the development
o the Chavn Master Plan.
Relocating, excavation, conservation,
and return to unction or the majority
o the principal, 300 m-long original
drainage the Rocas Canal.
Recreation o Chavn ceramic tech-
nology, and training o local population
in ceramic production; bone cratwork is
commencing.
625 Emerson Street, Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94301
t 650.325.7520 f 650.325.7511
globalheritagefund.org
Located high in the Andes, Chavn de Huntar is one of
most endangered UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru.
Circular Plaza during conservation (let) and ater (right). Photo by Dr. John Rick