CORE ZONE AND BUFFER ZONE

The mission’s first important achievement was to establish the perimeter of the Archaeological Park.
The polygon enclosing the Core Zone, whose corners were positioned using Differential GPS and located on a georeferenced Quickbird satellite image (2003), was legally ratified in 2008 (Resolution 1605/INC of the Comisión Nacional Técnica de Arqueología e la Dirección Nacional del Instituto Nacional de Cultura, 4 November 2008) and constitutes the fundamental instrument for the area’s protection.
The boundaries of the Buffer Zone were defined on the basis of fieldwork and remote sensing surveys which made it possible to identify unprotected archaeological structures around the urban core. The Buffer Zone extends to about 500 m from the Core Zone and contains a vast heritage of huacas, residential buildings and ancient paths.