Archaeologists using satellite thermal imaging have located a massive Wari Empire trade hub situated at an altitude of 4,200 meters in the Peruvian Andes. The site features a unique "vertical market" layout, with concentric stone rings designed to facilitate the exchange of goods between different ecological zones, from coastal shells to high-altitude camelid wool. The team unearthed a series of standardized stone weights, carved with the empire's iconic staff-god motif, suggesting a highly regulated economic system.
The discovery of the Huari-Cuntur site challenges previous models of Wari commerce, indicating that the empire maintained specialized high-altitude nodes to control the movement of luxury goods across the difficult Andean terrain. The presence of large-scale feasting halls adjacent to the marketplaces suggests that trade was integrated with state-sponsored ritual hospitality, a key strategy used by the Wari to integrate diverse ethnic groups into their political sphere before the rise of the Inca.