Along the arid valleys of Peru's northern coast, archaeologists are piecing together how one of the ancient Andes' most celebrated artistic traditions was actually made. Renewed excavations at Cerro Mayal have uncovered compelling new evidence that the site functioned as a major centre of Moche ceramic production, offering rare insight into the working lives of the potters behind some of pre-Columbian South America's most distinctive art — and revealing, remarkably, that they lived where they worked.
Image Credit : Chicama Archaeological Program
The Discovery
The findings emerged during the current field season of the Chicama Archaeological Programme (PRACH), managed by the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM), which resumed excavations at Cerro Mayal in the Chicama Valley, La Libertad region, in late July. Researchers have recovered numerous ceramic moulds, particularly those used for figurines, alongside potters' plates and substantial quantities of manufacturing waste.
Archaeologist Henry Tantaleán, co-director of the Chicama Archaeological Programme, explained that the very first archaeological layers encountered at the site were covered in ceramic production waste, a finding he says confirms the site's role as a dedicated centre for pottery production. The results reinforce evidence that Cerro Mayal functioned as a specialist ceramic production centre during the seventh century AD.
What Archaeologists Found
Excavations have uncovered architectural features closely associated with pottery making, including adobe and stone walls, as well as areas believed to have been used for preparing clay vessels. Perhaps the most significant finding to emerge from the current campaign, however, is that the workshops uncovered at Cerro Mayal also served as living spaces.
According to Tantaleán, researchers have been able to determine that the people who worked at the site also lived there, describing the structures as "workshop-houses." The research team's current focus is on understanding how these combined production and domestic spaces were organised, an insight that promises to shed new light on the daily rhythms of craft production in Moche society.
Historical Background
While Moche ceramics remain among the best-known examples of ancient Andean art, the workshops in which they were actually produced have remained comparatively poorly understood. Cerro Mayal dates to the Late Moche period, also referred to as Phase IV, around the seventh century AD, a period during which Moche society flourished extensively along Peru's northern coast.
The current campaign represents the first archaeological work carried out at Cerro Mayal in almost thirty years. Earlier excavations conducted during the late 1980s and mid-1990s first established the site's significance, but produced only limited published research, leaving much of its potential insight into Moche craft production largely unexplored until now.
Scientific Analysis
Researchers say that returning to Cerro Mayal offers an important opportunity to apply modern excavation techniques and more precise scientific dating methods that were unavailable during the earlier campaigns. New radiocarbon samples have already been sent to a laboratory in the United States, where improved dating methods are expected to help refine the chronology of pottery production at the site.
Archaeologists anticipate that more accurate dating will also assist in tracing exchange networks linking Cerro Mayal to other Moche settlements across the Chicama, Moche and Jequetepeque valleys. The research team believes the sheer scale of pottery production identified at the site may have exceeded local demand, suggesting that the workshops supplied ceramics to neighbouring communities beyond Cerro Mayal itself.
One specific possibility under investigation is that Cerro Mayal produced pottery used at the nearby site of Licapa II, another Late Moche settlement that the programme has been investigating for the past six years. Tantaleán noted that determining where the pottery found at Licapa II was originally made has long been a key research question, with Cerro Mayal consistently regarded as one of the strongest candidates.
Why This Discovery Matters
This research addresses a genuine gap in Moche archaeology. Despite the widespread recognition of Moche ceramics as a hallmark of ancient Andean artistry, direct archaeological evidence for how production was organised, where potters lived, and how workshops functioned as social and economic units has remained limited. The identification of combined workshop-houses at Cerro Mayal offers a rare, tangible link between craft production and daily domestic life in Moche society.
The potential evidence for inter-valley ceramic exchange networks also carries broader significance, offering a window into the economic relationships connecting different Moche settlements and helping archaeologists move beyond studying individual sites in isolation toward understanding the wider regional economy of Late Moche society.
What's Next?
Cerro Mayal has long remained vulnerable to looting and encroachment, owing to its location on land owned by the Casa Grande sugar company. Researchers hope that the renewed investigations will help document the site thoroughly before any further damage occurs, preserving crucial archaeological information for future study.
This year's excavation is expected to cover 100 square metres, making it the largest archaeological investigation ever undertaken at Cerro Mayal. By expanding the excavation area, researchers hope to develop a clearer understanding of the site's overall layout, along with the economic, technological and social organisation underpinning Moche ceramic production. The project is funded by the National University of San Marcos and the Peruvian Institute of Archaeological Studies, forming part of a broader effort to reconstruct how one of ancient Peru's most successful civilisations produced and distributed its distinctive ceramics.
Conclusion
The renewed excavations at Cerro Mayal are beginning to fill a long-standing gap in understanding Moche material culture, revealing not just the technical processes behind one of ancient Peru's most admired art forms, but the everyday lives of the craftspeople who created it. As the largest excavation ever undertaken at the site continues, and as new radiocarbon dating refines the chronology of pottery production, Cerro Mayal looks set to significantly deepen understanding of how the Moche civilisation organised, produced and distributed its remarkable ceramic legacy.
Sources : Andina
FAQ
Q: What has been discovered at Cerro Mayal? A: Archaeologists have uncovered ceramic moulds, potters' plates and manufacturing waste confirming the site's role as a major Moche pottery production centre, along with evidence that workshops also served as homes.
Q: How old is the Cerro Mayal site? A: It dates to the Late Moche period, also known as Phase IV, around the seventh century AD.
Q: Why is this excavation significant? A: It is the first archaeological work at the site in almost 30 years and the largest excavation ever carried out there, offering new insight into how Moche potters organised their work and lives.
Q: What is the connection between Cerro Mayal and Licapa II? A: Researchers believe Cerro Mayal may have supplied pottery used at the nearby Late Moche settlement of Licapa II, a question the team has been investigating for six years.
Q: Why is the site at risk? A: Cerro Mayal lies on land owned by the Casa Grande sugar company and has remained vulnerable to looting and encroachment, making current documentation efforts especially important.
