pre-Columbian temple site in the present-day Casma Valley, of the north central coast of Peru, known for its unusual large stone sculptures. These carvings are in a style unlike anything else reported in Peru. The Cerro Sechín temple and sculptures presumably are quite early, although whether they are pre-Chavín (before c. 900 BC) is uncertain. The Cerro Sechín carvings have been executed by deep-line incisions on relatively unfinished stone slabs. Most of the figures represent humans, perhaps dead or sacrificed persons.