Temple of the Crossed Hands

The Temple of the Crossed Hands dates to around 2000 - 1800 BCE. The site has distinctive architecture which has come to represent the Kotosh traditions and style. The Temple of the Crossed Hands is in a complex containing two additional temples: Nichitos and Blanco. The Temple of the Crossed Hands is the most well known because of five niches containing sculptures of hands. The sculptures are some of the earliest in the pre- Columbian South America. The gesture is believed to be...

•  tied to Peruvian cosmology and the idea of duality. 
• symbolic of sacrifices carried out by priests. 
• symbolic of ritual communion. 
• protection against enemies. 

The area surrounding the Temple of the Crossed Hands is thought to be a place of ritual significance. Because of the lack of housing centers around the complex, Temple of the Crossed Hands is thought to be a location of pilgrimage.