In Andean prehistory, Cerro Sechín represents the link between the Kotosh religious tradition (2500–200 B.C.) and Chavin civilization (800–200 B.C.). The site is part of a string of exceptional monuments in the Casma Valley, such as Sechín Bajo, the oldest known temple in the New World; Sechín Alto, the largest construction of its time in the western hemisphere; and Chankillo, America´s earliest known solar observatory.