The Ccopan site (Andaray District, Condesuys Province, Arequipa) was first examined during excavations conducted in 2000–2001 by Mariusz Ziółkowski and Augusto Belan Franco as part of the "Condesuyos" Archaeological Project. A new project began here in 2025 in collaboration with the Catholic University of Santa María in Arequipa. Ccopan is unique in the region due to its architectural features.
The main plaza at Ccopan, with a large kallanka-type structure on one side, covers an area of over 2 hectares, making it the largest of all the plazas at the Inca settlements located in Cuntisuyu. The layout and characteristics of the buildings at the Ccopan site bear witness to the significant intervention of the imperial administration and specialists (architects and stonemasons) sent from the metropolitan region. One of the strongest arguments to support this view is Tomb 1, a monument constructed with exquisite technique unparalleled throughout the Arequipa region (or ancient Cuntisuyu).
The inner burial chamber houses a tuff chair. The remains of a human skeleton were deposited in a hollow in the floor on the north side of the burial chamber, without strictly respecting the anatomical order. These skeletal remains belong to a single individual, a man, aged between 46 and 53. The fact that a layer of volcanic ash later sealed the bones allows us to place the arrangement before 1600 AD, that is, before the catastrophic eruption of the Huayna Putina volcano (Ziółkowski, Tunia, Presbitero, 2005: 218-222).
This is a mausoleum-type funerary construction, erected for a single person of very high hierarchical rank. This is further supported by the presence of a stone chair, a unique element to date throughout the southern Peruvian Andes. Also notable is the excellent carving and finishing of the stones, and finally, the presence of numerous fragments of Inca-style imperial pottery. These elements imply the direct involvement of imperial specialists (artisans, architects, and stonemasons) in the construction of the tomb and in the preparation of the offerings that would accompany the deceased.
Project manager: prof. Mariusz Ziółkowski
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POLAND
University of Warsaw
Center for Andean Studies
PERU
Center for Andean Studies
of the University of Warsaw in Cusco