The caiman/puma monster-shaped mound is one of two figures from the 4,000 year old preceramic site of El Paraíso, in the Chilca Valley. The other, a condor, is partly visible in the upper left. The arrow shows the mound’s alignment to the Milky Way.
Credit Photo courtesy of Robert Benfer
The El Paraíso condor lines up with this stone sculpted to resemble a condor head. Viewed from the entrance to a 4,000 year old temple at the site, the sun rises over this pillar during the equinox.
Credit Photo courtesy of Google Earth Pro
Orcas hunted off the Peruvian coast 500 meters away until recently when industrial fishing removed their prey. This orca-shaped mound dated to approximately 5000 years ago.
For centuries people have lived and worked in a part of coastal Peru spotted with oddly shaped hills. Most knew that the mounds were man made, but were they significant?
