Chiripa

An early village site on the southern end of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, dating to the Early and Middle Horizon. Late Chiripa pottery of the Early Horizon Period (1800-200 BC) is decorated with cream on red color zones, separated by incised lines. Early pottery is a cream-on-white ware, decorated with geometric designs. The common form is a flat-bottomed, vertical-sided open bowl. The artistic style is linked to Pucara and Tiahuanaco. There is a series of rectangular rooms, some with underfloor stone-lined graves, arranged around a rectangular plaza. An unusual feature is the storage space between the double walls of some structures.

A site located at the south end of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and dating to the Middle Horizon. It consists of a series of •rectangular rooms, some with underfloor stone-lined graves, arranged around a rectangular plaza. An unusual feature is the use of the space between the double walls of some of these structures for storage. Chiripa’s distinctive ceramics are part of a region-wide artistic tradition linked both to Pucara and the beginnings of Tiahuanaco. Typical pottery is a cream-on-white ware, decorated with geometric designs (usually broad steps or serrations); modelled and incised felines are another favoured motif. The common form is a flat-bottomed, vertical-sided open bowl.