A Wari Ceremonial Ceramic Off ering in La Oroya, Acari Valley, Peru

The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the recent unexpected  fi nding of a cache of ceremonial Wari ceramics at the site of La Oroya, in the Acari Valley, on the Peruvian south coast region. Th e deposit was found during the excavation of trenches in the  streets of Acari to establish the sewer system of the town. One of those trenches cut a deposit consisting of hundreds of sherds from large polychrome vessels resembling those from Conchopata, in the  Ayacucho Valley. Because the fi nding is the fi rst of its kind for the Acari Valley and that its destruction was inevitable, it was decided to carry out an emergency excavation in order to document and uncover the deposit.

Key words: Middle Horizon, Wari, Ceramic off erings, Acari Valley