The archae­o­log­i­cal site of Samaipa­ta con­sists of two parts: the hill with its many carv­ings, believed to have been the cer­e­mo­ni­al cen­tre of the old town (14th-16th cen­turies), and the area to the south of the hill, which formed the admin­is­tra­tive and res­i­den­tial dis­trict. The huge sculp­tured rock, dom­i­nat­ing the town below, is a unique tes­ti­mo­ny to pre-His­­pan­ic tra­di­tions and beliefs, and has no par­al­lel any­where in the Amer­i­c­as.