Asana, Peru

Asana was occupied over the course of 8,000 years; though the inhabitants were initially mobile foragers, long term habitation was marked at a later phase by residential architecture.

The valley floors and hill slopes, covering an area of 4.8 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi), led to the discovery of the Asana site and also six rock shelters.

The Asana at the lower elevation had formed the base camp of the earliest settlers who were hunter gatherers, hunting guanaco and taruca.

[6] In the river valley, the pastorals living in the mountainous region preferred to limit their livestock foraging to a comfortable distance of not more than 2–4 kilometres (1.2–2.5 mi) with an elevation difference of 200–400 metres (660–1,310 ft), perhaps to conserve their energy expenditures.

[7] Lithic material found at the site attests to the shifting of camps and supports links existing between the settlements of the lower and upper elevations.