Archaeologists In Peru Unearthed The Remains Of Four People Buried About 3,800 Years Ago, Long Before The Incas Occupied The Region
For over 50 years, archaeologists have been conducting excavations at a site in Peru’s Viru Valley. Recently, the remains of four people were unearthed. They had been buried about 3,800 years ago, long before the Incas were in the region.
The burials of the two children, a teenager and an adult, were found in what was likely the ruins of a temple at the archaeological site of Queneto in northern Peru. The temple was built with clay plaster and cobblestone walls that had curved corners.
“These environments, characterized by curved corners, show unique architecture from the Early Formative period,” said Castillo Lujan, professor of the Professional School of Archaeology at the National University of Trujillo.
“Furthermore, fragments of early ceramics found at the site were similar to those observed in other important settlements such as Gramalote, in the Moche Valley, and Huaca Negra, near the coast in the Viru Valley.”
The site dates back to 1800 to 900 B.C., during the Early Formative period. It predates the Inca Empire, which thrived in the Andean region of South America.
The empire stood from about 1200 to the 1530s. The people living in the region helped start the construction of large buildings, including some of the earliest pyramids, in Peru.
All four individuals were lying on their sides and appeared to face a mountain. Grave goods, such as snail shells and stone pendants, were buried alongside them.
Pottery fragments were also detected at the site. It is possible that the temple was used by a cult associated with water.
To the people living around the Andes, mountains had symbolic significance, as evidenced by how the burials were facing the mountains.
Evgeny – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
The mountains were their primary source of water, giving them life. So, it makes sense that they must have viewed the water as spiritual nourishment, not just physical.
The Viru Valley is a zone rich with archaeological evidence of the ancient civilizations that once lived in the region.
The most recent excavation of the pre-Inca burials covered only one percent of the total area of the site.
The four burials will aid archaeologists in improving their knowledge of a time that has remained relatively unclear, as very little burial information has been discovered.
“I am highly impressed by this project, and these investigations further demonstrate the importance of this valley during the early second millennium [B.C.],” said Jason Nesbitt, an associate professor of anthropology at Tulane University, who was not involved with the discovery.
The research team hopes that the discoveries in the area will make the government consider transforming the Viru Valley into a place that preserves the Peruvian identity and allows people from all over the world to learn more about the region’s history and culture.
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