MONTEGRANDE Y LA CULTURA MARAÑÓN

Montegrande is the first monumental architecture that suggests the birth of religion in the Amazon. Its spiral shape represents the oldest and most universal symbol in human history; it symbolizes constant change, transformation, and the development through which the universe—and along with it, human beings—passes. Life is movement, and this movement is spiral; it is evolutionary energy. We can also observe this spiral in our DNA chains, in a snail’s shell, a tornado, the growth of plants, the movement of a snake, and, on the other hand, in dance. It was built approximately 6,000 years ago by the inhabitants of the Marañón culture and is located in the province of Jaén, department of Cajamarca, in the Upper Amazon of Peru.

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The monumental architecture of Montegrande was constructed from earth and stone with anti-seismic structures. In the archaeological contexts, various funerary sites have been recorded, which may have been made with the intention of guiding the souls of the recently deceased, since they likely believed in life after death, and that those who had died before would know the way and could guide the newly departed to the afterlife. To accompany the tombs, they placed various stone artifacts, such as sculptures of corn cobs and cacao seeds. At Montegrande, several objects have been discovered, including grinding stones, ceramics, human burials, and other artifacts, as well as food remains such as cassava, corn, and coca, along with the oldest known remains of Theobroma cacao to date. The inhabitants of this civilization occupied a territory that extended beyond the borders of present-day Peru.