For more than four decades, Charles Stanish has unearthed the mysteries and secrets of ancient societies in the Americas. His work uncovers the interplay of trade, war, and labor organization as villages evolved into complex societies. His discoveries gave new understanding to the Inca Empire and to the people preceding the Incas. Few people have the opportunity to be part of the labor-intensive work required to excavate prehistory in a way that brings this type of meaning and significance. The USF Library’s Huaco Soto collection allows visitors to see the process and the types of clues that Stanish worked with in order to unravel prehistory.
USF Library’s Huaco Soto collection features information on the 2014 and 2015 excavations at Huaca Soto, an archaeological site located in southern Peru’s Chincha Valley. Huaca Soto is a monumental sunken court structure that was occupied during the Paracas period. The work was initiated by the Programa Arqueológica Chincha (PACH). PACH was created by Drs. Charles Stanish and Henry Tantaleán to gain insight into the evolution of Paracas communities in the Chincha Valley.