Archeological discovery indicates women once ruled Peru
Archeological discovery indicates women once ruled Peru
ROBERTO CORTIJO
LIMA — Agence France-Presse
Published Thursday, Aug. 22 2013, 9:08 PM EDT
Last updated Thursday, Aug. 22 2013, 10:29 PM EDT
The discovery in Peru of another tomb belonging to a pre-Hispanic priestess, the eighth in more than two decades, confirms that powerful women ruled this region 1,200 years ago, archeologists said.
The remains of the woman from the Moche – or Mochica – civilization were discovered in late July in an area called La Libertad in the country’s northern Chepan province.
It is one of several finds in this region that have amazed scientists. In 2006, researchers came across the famous “Lady of Cao” – who died about 1,700 years ago and is seen as one of the first female rulers in Peru.
“This find makes it clear that women didn’t just run rituals in this area, but governed here and were queens of Mochica society,” project director Luis Jaime Castillo said. “It is the eighth priestess to be discovered,” he added. “Our excavations have only turned up tombs with women, never men.”
More:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/archeological-discovery-indicates-women-once-ruled-peru/article13928886/