T-2A (Cerro Choncaya)

Cerro Choncaya is an Early and Middle Formative Period site that lies on the modern boundary between the modern communities of Coa Kkollu to the East and San José to the West, though the majority of the site lies in Coa Kkollu. It was discovered by myself and several companions on a drive around the peninsula in 1996.

The site itself comprises a dense scatter of ceramics and lithics covering 4.25 ha. Sector A covers 3.0 ha. There is no indication of corporate architecture in any form at the site. It is located on a low pass through the Taraco hills, a small saddle at approximately 3870 m.a.s.l. This location affords excellent views both of the lake itself and of the approaches from the East and North-West. For this reason the site may be considered strategic, though it is by no means defensive. No evidence of fortifications were encountered, and its location in a saddle would have exposed the site to attack from adjacent hilltops. The site has been cut by the modern road leading from Taraco to Santa Rosa. The road cut reveals no deep deposits. This is unsurprising, considering the topographical location of the site, which has exposed it to severe erosion. Apart from the road cut, little modern disturbance is in evidence, and the site seems to be quite well-preserved. Very little modern material was found; indeed, almost no material post-dating Late Chiripa is present on the site. The Early Chiripa occupation has a population index value of 157; larger than Chiripa, and the second-largest site in the Early Chiripa phase.