Caballete

Caballete is one of several large Late Archaic sites in the Pativilca and Fortaleza Valleys in the Norte Chico region of north-central coastal Peru. Excavations by Jonathan Haas, Winifred Creamer and their colleagues from 2002-2008 at 13 sites recovered very early evidence of maize as well as other domesticates and animal and fish remains. Their work focused on radiocarbon dating samples from stratified domestic refuse at two sites in particular: Huaricanga and Caballete in the Fortaleza Valley. Maize from these sites is represented by both macroremains and microremains including phytoliths, starch grains, and pollen (Haas et al. 2013; Creamer et al. 2007). Some of the macroremains are directly dated, while most of the microremains are indirectly dated.

Located the Fortaleza Valley, 8 km inland from the Ocean, the Caballete site consists of a major "U-shaped" architectural complex with six platform mounds arranged around a plaza. Haas et al. (2013) conducted excavations in residential complexes in order to find evidence of subsistence practices at the site. Caballete produced a number of directly dated maize macroremains, maize pollen from soil samples, and other microremains including starch and phytoliths from various contexts, including stone tools.