STORY: :: Peruvian archaeologists discover a
400-year-old temple buried under a dune
:: Proyecto Paisajes Culturales de Ucupe-Valle de Zana
:: Lambayeque, Peru
:: Luis Muro, Archaeologist:
“We are awaiting radiocarbon dating to confirm this date, but the evidence indicates that this religious construction is possibly part of a religious tradition of temples that were built on the northern coast of Peru in that period of time.” //
“The structures we have found are part of what appears to be a theater built with adobe walls. It has central staircases, walls decorated with paint that form pictorial designs, and high-relief designs forming figures of mythological characters.”
Archeologists found the walls and base of the temple, as well as the skeletal remains of three adults that suggest they were sacrificed in ritual ceremonies.
On one of the temple’s walls is a high-relief drawing of a human body and a bird’s head, a mythological figure from religious beliefs of the time. These characteristics preceded the remote Chavin culture on the country’s central coast.
Source Agencies
