Mound Levels at La Galgada
North Mound Floor 30 was built around 2300 BC. At this summit floor level there were several smaller chambers scattered asymmetrically. After ascending the mound staircase one would still be in the open air until one of these chambers was entered. All structures on this mound summit were ceremonial. Domestic structures and residences were never placed on top of these mounds, but instead were placed near the base of the mound on the surrounding soil.
North Mound Floor 20 was built around 2100 BC. This level went away from the previous layout design of smaller separate chambers and instead went with one large chamber with a couple smaller rooms surrounding. The one large mound would have been able to accommodate around 50 people instead of the 10-20 that would fit normally. There was also an addition of a fairly large court room directly outside the chamber door. One would enter this court first after ascending the staircase, and could then proceed to the chamber door.
North Mound Floor 10 was built around 1900 BC. Fire pit ceremonial chambers were no longer the central focus of the mounds. This is also the first time that we begin to see the U-shape ceremonial structure that would become so prevalent during the Initial Period and continued into the Early Horizon, perhaps becoming most noticeable as the style found at Chavin de Huantar. The U-shaped ceremonial structure at this floor level occurred during the last major period of construction at La Galgada. This appears to mark the architectural transition, at this site, of something occurring at multiple sites around Peru.
