PUCAR

pre-Columbian site and culture in the southern highlands of present-day Peru in the northern basin of Lake Titicaca. The site is known for its unusual horseshoe-shaped temple or sanctuary of stone masonry. Pucar-style stone sculptures and Pucar pottery show resemblances to those of Tiahuanaco, in the southern Titicaca basin. Because the earlier levels at Tiahuanaco show Pucar-type pottery, it is apparent that the Pucar culture was a forerunner of the Classic Tiahuanaco styles. The Pucar is generally dated to the earlier part (c. 200 BCAD 200) of the Early Intermediate Period.