Field research
Chachani
The first capacocha on a mountain summit was likely discovered on Chachani (6,057 m) in Peru in 1896. Due to the proximity of the modern city of Arequipa, the sites on the volcano were looted. The burial on the summit was discovered by a German traveler named Wagner. During a survey in 2010, Johan Reinhard and Antonio Chávez discovered the remains of a tambo (a roadside inn for pilgrims). In subsequent fieldwork conducted by project members in 2022 and 2024, a smaller tambo located higher up was discovered, along with the remains of a road and additional sites leading toward the lower summit of Chachani.
Misti
During excavations in 1996, archaeologists discovered the richest capacocha known to date inside the crater of the Misti volcano. Due to the difficult conditions, the remains were extracted along with the surrounding soil and transported to the Museo Santuarios Andinos in Arequipa. In 2017, project director D. Socha conducted an analysis which revealed that eight children, aged between 6 and 12, had been sacrificed there. The victims were accompanied by rich grave offerings, including figurines made of gold, silver, and Spondylus shell, tupu pins, and ceramics, some of which have been preserved to this day. During surveys in 2022, tambos along the route leading to the summit of the volcano were documented.
Pichu Pichu
Research on Pichu Pichu began as early as 1966. In 2022, as part of field surveys, 3D documentation was carried out on the tambos located along the path leading to the summit. The lower tambo featured a large plaza where important ceremonies involving pilgrims may have taken place. The upper tambo, located at some distance, consisted of a single building. Nearby was a boulder shaped to mimic the peaks located behind it. During the 2024 season, excavations were conducted in one of the rooms of the upper tambo, along with non-invasive investigations using ground-penetrating radar and LiDAR technology.
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