could speak, but also that it had the power to make other oracles speak (see
Oracles).
The oracle of Catequil in the province of Huamachuco, northern Peru, showing the
outer and inner patios of the oracle’s sanctuary and the canal used in divination
rituals to announce the oracle’s predictions. Courtesy John Topic, Catequil
Archaeological Project.Excavations at the site have uncovered Catequil’s main temple compound at a
place called Namanchugo, at the foot of Mt. Icchal, a mountain with three cliffs
that people believed represented Catequil, his mother Mama Catequil, and a
brother, Piguerao. The complex at the site comprised three compounds on top of
a low mound with two lateral extensions, resulting in a U-shaped mound with a
plaza in front and two wings extending from the sides. The shrine itself, situated
on the central mound, measures 3 × 3 meters (10 × 10 feet) on the exterior and
contained three libation basins, two in the inner patio and one inside the shrine.
Within the shrine, archaeologists found the remains of two canal systems: one
carried libations away from the basins, and the other served as a conduit for the
pronouncement of oracular prophecies. The shrine’s patio is paved with sling-