The director of Peru’s National Institute of Culture, INC, in Huánuco Department says possible flooding of the Higueras River due to heavy rains threatens to damage the Kotosh archaeological temple, considered one of the oldest temples in the Americas. Carlos Ortega told Agencia Andina there is a high risk the side of the archaeological temple nearest the river will be damaged unless appropriate measures are taken.
“We’ve requested support from the regional government to construct a containing wall… because rain has made the Higueras River grow and overflow in some parts,” said Ortega.
The Kotosh temple is located near the city of Huánuco, in Peru’s central highlands and dates back some 4,000 years. It includes a series of pyramid-shaped mounds as well as the Temple of the Crossed Arms. The Temple of the Crossed Arms is decorated with a mud sculpture of two crossed arms, one of the oldest examples of sculptures in Peru. The Temple of the Crossed Arms is thought to be a reflection of duality, which is central to Andean world view.
