A large Preceramic to early Formative coastal settlement south of the Casma Valley, Peru, whose U-shaped monumental complex covering roughly 40 hectares was built by a population subsisting almost entirely on maritime resources, making it a key site in debates about whether maritime economies or agriculture drove the rise of Andean civilization.
Las Haldas fell into disuse by the early 5th century BCE as coastal populations migrated inland toward irrigated agricultural communities in the river valleys, abandoning the monumental coastal complex.
The foundational argument for a maritime-based origin of Andean civilization; Las Haldas was central evidence for Moseley's thesis.
Later synthesis revisiting the maritime hypothesis and contextualizing Las Haldas within Andean prehistory.
Classic survey covering early coastal Peruvian sites including Las Haldas within the Preceramic period.