Chivateros, Prehistoric cave site in Ventanilla District, Peru.
Chivateros is a prehistoric site in the coastal region near the mouth of the Chillón River, encompassing several natural chambers formed in rock. The formation lies within a broad valley depression where erosion over millennia created accessible shelters.
Archaeologists excavated several horizons during the 1960s, uncovering tool forms from the late Pleistocene that are between 9,000 and 11,000 years old. The finds showed that different groups used the same spot for craft tasks across millennia.
The site preserves traces of early workshop areas where coastal people shaped quartzite blanks and tested finished blades for usability. Visitors can now identify how processing areas were separated by task at certain spots.
Anyone wishing to see the complex should coordinate with local archaeology authorities in advance, as guided visits occur by appointment only for preservation reasons. Access is usually arranged for small groups to avoid straining the delicate deposit layers.
Within the valley, three different assemblages of stone artifacts can be distinguished, suggesting that groups with different raw material preferences or knapping techniques worked here. Some areas served solely as testing grounds where craftspeople tried newly sharpened edges on trial pieces before taking the tools away.
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