When Ivan Ghezzi first visited the ancient Peruvian settlement of Chankillo 6 years ago, the world was reeling from 9/11. It seemed appropriate to view the site, already famous for its thick walls, parapets, and restricted gates, solely as a fortress. Ghezzi, then a Yale University graduate student, had in fact received a grant to investigate just that possibility at the 2,300-year-old coastal-desert site.
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