Abstract

Lithic artifacts are often largely or wholly ignored by archaeologists studying complex societies. While this situation is being rectified in many parts of the world, the Andean mountains of northern Peru remain one area where very few lithic analyses have been conducted. To this end, a comprehensive analysis was conducted of all lithic artifacts from four sites associated with the Oracle of Catequil, located on and around the mountain of Cerro Icchal near the village of San José de Porcón in La Libertad, Peru. The oracle, in use between 400 CE and the Spanish arrival in 1532 CE, is a sacred site of ancestor veneration and a place of pilgrimage. Through this analysis, I am able to show the relationships between the four different sites at Cerro Icchal, as well as show how this expedient tool assemblage fits into a general model for lithic design criteria in complex societies.