In 1907, Max Uhle performed excavations at the La Cruz Creek, located in the San Lorenzo Island. One of the most important objects discovered during that exploration was a mantle with a painting representing a parade of naked people. The painted mantle and other objects retrieved from the island by Uhle are kept at the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú. The iconographic study was based on a semiologic approach. As long as the characters, their attrbutes and their actions are properly identified, this approach leads to fine results on the meaning of the representations. Chronologically, the mantle pertains to the Late Horizon (1470-1532 dC.) and culturally is related to the Ichma style, from the Rimac and Lurín valleys. The Ichma style shares some features with northern styles such as Chancay, Chimú and Lambayeque. The mantle was compared to the data off...

This article presents the scope of the research carried out by the San Lorenzo Island Archaeological Project, which focuses mainly on the activities carried out in the island during the Colonial and the first century of the Republican period using archaeological (surveys and excavations) and historical (review of written sources) methods. During Colonial times, San Lorenzo island served economic and security functions. During our studies, we identified the quarries which provided the stones used in many construction projects in Lima and Callao, as well as the remains of the lookouts established there in the early 19th century. We also identified the ammunition storerooms used by Lord Thomas Cochrane during his 1819 expedition to the island and the remains of tents used by the patriotic liberation army during the early 1820’s. During the 19th century, the island also served public healt...