Kotosh is an archaeological site near Huanuco (Peru) containing a temple of the Late Archaic period. The site gave name to the Kotosh Religious Tradition, which existed in Peru in 2300—1200 BCE, i.e. in the Late Archaic period. Kotosh people cultivated crops, used marine resources, built permanent settlements and multistoreyed ceremonial buildings.
The archaeological site of the Temple of Kotosh is also known as the Temple of the Crossed Hands because of the life-sized mud molding of a pair of crossed hands, which is the site’s highlight. The molding dates to about 2000 BC and is now at Lima’s Museo Nacional de Antropología, Arqueología y Historía del Perú. On the site, a replica remains. Little is known about Kotosh, one of the most ancient of Andean cultures.
To get there, hire a taxi (S/12, including a 30-minute wait and return) or catch a mototaxi (S/4-5 one way). The site is next to a popular park and usually taxis are waiting on the weekends.
It is famous for the Cave of the Owls, also inhabited by oilbirds.