LITMIR.BIZ

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      El Paraíso is the modern name of a Late Preceramic (3500—1800 BC) archaeological site located in the Chillón Valley on the central coast of Peru. The site is situated several kilometers north of Lima, the capital of Peru, in the San Martin de Porres District in the Province of Lima. El Paraíso is one of the largest settlements from this period, encompassing over 58 hectares of land. Other major centers from this period include Aspero and Caral on the northern coast in the Supé Valley. Sizable centers can be found in different ecozones, from the coast to inland areas. Stanish concluded that this was a time when settlements were broadly distributed, located at various distances from the coast allowing access to a variety of marine and agricultural resources. The occupation of El Paraiso is dated from 3790 BP to 3065 BP, which would date the site to the Preceramic Period. The oldest dates come from Unit 4, with calibrated dates coming from wood charcoal as late as 2540 B.C. Unit 1, which was excavated and reconstructed by Frederic Engal, features arguably the most defining structure within El Paraiso. Dates from Unit 1 range from 2320 B.C. to 1105 B.C. Most samples come from room 2, which is believed to be the oldest and largest room in the Unit. Most radiocarbon dates come from wood charcoal samples from midden, though there are two samples of reed fragments from pit 3 in Unit 4.Thin layers of much later material have also been found on several sites within El Paraiso. These have been dated to belong to the Early Intermediate Period about 200 B.C. to 550 A.D. These remains show a short term use of the site during this time and can be easily separated from Preceramic materials, although they demonstrate that the abandoned site was revisited in later times