 So, thank you very much for inviting me to this interesting session and thank you also for letting me do the last step to get to heaven. Well, the religions of the indigenous cultures of South America in the time before the arrival of the Europeans can be described as animistic. Therefore, the peoples of the Andes considered the landscape as part of the spiritual world. Holy places and objects were regarded as so-called wakas. Mountains were considered the seat of spiritual power and were called apus. In my paper, I would like to present the Serro Yamoka, the Yamoka Mountain in English, which we explored as part of a larger settlement study. At Serro Yamoka, we observed several features that characterize this mountain as a sacred mountain in the sense of the ancient Andean traditions. Our study area lies in the south of Peru, about 400 kilometers south of the capital Lima. In this region, we carried out an archaeological settlement study, which we called the Andean transect. The study area includes the valleys of Palpa and stretches along an imaginary line from the Pacific coast to the highest peaks of the western Cordillera of the Andes. It therefore contains all of the altitudes and ecological zones of the western flank of the Andes. The most eastern and highest point of the Andean transect is the Serro Yamoka. To explain the cultural context of our research and why Serro Yamoka is such an interest for us, I would like to briefly introduce you to our previous research on the coast of Peru. There, in the Palpa region, we explored the geoglyphs of the Nazca culture. Geoglyphs are the large drawings on the desert surface that you can see here in the picture, located on a ridge between the two river valleys. Of particular interest are the trapezoidal geoglyphs. In our excavations, we found stone platforms at the end of these trapezoids, which can be interpreted as evidence of ritual activities that were performed on the geoglyphs. These platforms were hardly visible in the terrain, but the excavation of 12 such platforms showed that they followed a distinctive pattern. In most cases, there were two rectangular platforms between which wooden posts were placed. The finds recovered in the platforms, mostly ceramics, textiles, but especially spondylus shells, can be interpreted as evidence that these places were used as sacrificial sites within the context of water and fertility rites. These and many other archaeological observations, which I cannot explain in detail here, led us to interpret the Nazca geoglyphs as a ritual landscape for ceremonies related to water and fertility. This interpretation makes a lot of sense in the desert landscape, where survival depends on the availability of water. In the course of our settlement studies in the Andean transect, we recorded about 1,500 settlements. These were investigated partly by surveys, partly by test excavations, and partly by extensive excavations. During the first phase of the project, we concentrated on the coastal area, while in the second phase, research was carried out in the highlands of the Andes. The Serro-Yamoka, the highest point of our research area, rises as an impressive landmark over the headwaters of the tributaries of the Palpa rivers. Geologically, it consists of the remains of the hard rock of the caldera of an old volcano. On the right side, there is another rock outcrop, where we found an interesting rock shelter. If we look at this satellite image, we can better understand the geographical situation. In the upper center of the picture, we see the Serro-Yamoka. A bit lower on the right side is the rock shelter. Below Serro-Yamoka are the springs of the river Viskas, one of the tributaries of the Palpa valleys. The springs are located in an area characterized by an extensive peat bog. The peat bog next to Serro-Yamoka is still an important water reservoir today, which ensures the constant flow of water from the Viskas river, even in the dry season. It is already clear at this point that Serro-Yamoka serves as an important function for the water supply of the entire region. This must also have been the case in the past. At the foot of Serro-Yamoka lies the rock shelter, which we call Abrigo-Yamoka, one of many rock shelters with evidence of archaic occupation in the region. Here we carried out a small test excavation and found lithic artifacts which are characteristic for the earliest settlement phases of the Andean region. The radiocarbon data showed a calibrated date of about 8,000 BC. This is the early phase of the so-called archaic period in the central Andes. We can therefore assume that the area of Serro-Yamoka has been used by humans since the early settlement of the Andes. The slopes around Serro-Yamoka are divided by long walls. One could say that the entire area was transformed into a cultural landscape by human action. This is especially true of the case at the top of Serro-Yamoka. The entire surface of the mountain is covered with small stone piles. These stone piles in the Andes are called apachetas. Even today the Andean people build these apachetas at important passes in the mountains at holy places or at places of pilgrimage. These stone piles are clear evidence that the difficult to reach summit of the Serro-Yamoka was regularly visited by people. In small caves near the summit of Serro-Yamoka we even have found remains of burial contexts. Comparing the isotope analysis of the bones from these burials to the isotope signatures of local plants and animals showed that the people buried on Serro-Yamoka were brought from distant regions, very likely from the coast. It is possible that they were brought here specifically for funerary rides or that they were even sacrificed on the mountain. At the highest point of the summit of Serro-Yamoka we found a so-called D-shaped structure. In this picture we see the remains of the almost circular walls. The shape of the building can be better seen on the topographic plan which we created with some effort of course transporting the survey equipment to the top of the mountain. The D-shaped structure which can be seen at the bottom of the plan has an almost circular foundation. However, the northeastern part of the structure is formed by a straight wall with an entrance in the middle. This type of building is characteristic of the so-called middle horizon sites in the central Andes. In the picture we see the largest known building of this type at the site Wadi which is understood as the capital of the Wari culture in the department of Ayakutshu, also in the highlands of Peru. D-shaped structures have been found in many other locations within the Wari culture area. These special buildings clearly differ from other structures of Wari sites which are characterized by their orthogonal layout. Excavations in Conchopata in Ayakutshu revealed that the D-shaped structures were ceremonial buildings. Inside these buildings large quantities of pottery vessels were found that had been broken during ritual activities. We haven't found broken ceremonial vessels at Saroyamoka but we haven't had the opportunity to excavate here yet. However, in many places on the summit of Saroyamoka broken glass bottles can be seen. These are the remains of modern pilgrims who still climb the Saroyamoka today to make offerings. Nowadays, coca leaves, liquor and cigarettes are sacrificed. Unfortunately, the ancient people of South America never developed writing systems so we do not have a written source of information about the ancient customs, especially those around Saroyamoka. However, we have colonial sources from the time of contact with the Europeans which provide some information about Saroyamoka and about mountain rituals in general. For example, a Spanish colonial official reports on an inspection of the Saroyamoka region, and they quote, and I will put here the names of the wakas, the holy places I explained, which they venerated most. The most important ones, which were from the Quechua, the indigenous people there, were called Chukimoro, Chukigwaraka, Apo-Yamoka, Sutaya, and I have to explain that Apo-Yamoka, of course, in this case, has to be read as Apo-Yamoka, which means holy Yamoka. Another source mentions idols. That were destroyed during a cleaning operation in the nearby village of Laramate. It says, wakas and idols destroyed and burned during the visitation of Laramate, ten wakas called Yamoka and Paokani. Finally, I would like to cite the famous local chronicler Guaman Poma de Ayala, who was born in this region and reported on the customs of his ancestors. He describes the worship of the mountain gods. In this drawing by Guaman Poma de Ayala, you can see an Inca who speaks to the indigenous, in the indigenous language Quechua, with the idols at the foot of the mountain and with the mountain gods. And he says, and I quote, Holy idols and gods, which one of you said that it shall not rain, it shall not freeze, it shall not hail? Tell me. And the idols reply, the small idols here on the foot, it wasn't us, Inca. These examples clearly show that important mountains in the Andes, including probably Serro Yamoka, were worshiped and that there is a clear connection with water and fertility rights. Although further research should be carried out to highlight the importance and the significance of Serro Yamoka in the southern highlands of Peru, I believe that some conclusions can be drawn based on the available evidence. First, Serro Yamoka must have been an important sacred place. I think this is clear. It was an essential part of a sacred landscape which is surrounding it. It was important throughout all pre-Spanic periods until modern times. There seems to be a relationship with similar phenomena on the coast, particularly the geoglyphs of the Nazca culture, and similar to the geoglyphs on the coast, the ritual on Serro Yamoka seemed to be associated with water and fertility. Thank you very much.