Encanto

A series of sites on the central coastline of Peru, including Chilca, which constitute a cultural phase which began to exploit maritime resources and cultivation, c 3750-2500 BC. Stone artifacts include milling stones, small percussion-flaked projectile points, and simple scrapers as well as bone and wooden tools. The changing subsistence patterns resulted from the decreasing availability of lomas vegetation.

Complex of 13 sites concentrated on the Peruvian central coast, including Chilca and Ancon Yacht Club, which demonstrate the changing subsistence patterns resulting from the decreasing availability of lomas vegetation. Dating to the Pre-ceramic Period V, the Encanto phase is characterized by the gradual abandonment of Archaic subsistence practices in favour of sedentary ways of life, particularly increased exploitation of marine resources and the practice of limited agriculture.