New Archaeological discoveries in Peru

[Judi Lynn]

New Archaeological discoveries in Peru
May 22, 2012 by HeritageDailyin Americas

A team of archaeologists from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) has discovered a spectacular tomb containing more than eighty individuals of different ages. This discovery – provisionally dated to around 1000 years ago – was made at the site of Pachacamac, which is currently under review for UNESCO World Heritage status.

Pachacamac, situated on the Pacific coast about thirty kilometres from Lima, is one of the largest Prehispanic sites in South America. Professor Peter Eeckhout – under the auspices of the ULB – has been carrying out fieldwork at the site for the past 20 years. The 2012 season resulted in some particularly remarkable discoveries.

The Ychsma Project team undertook to record and excavate a series of Inca storage facilities (15th-16th c. AD), as well as a more ancient cemetery which had been detected during exploratory work in 2004.

It was here – directly in front of the Temple of Pachacamac – that the most important discovery was made. A scatter of later period burials was found to conceal an enormous burial chamber 20 metres long ; miraculously, it had survived the pillaging of the colonial period – which was particularly intensive on this site – and was completely intact.

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More:
http://www.heritagedaily.com/2012/05/new-archaeological-discoveries-in-peru/

[Judi Lynn]

1. Huge Tomb Discovered in Peru With Over 80 Mummies, Some Infants

Huge Tomb Discovered in Peru With Over 80 Mummies, Some Infants
By Ben Johnson and Slate V Staff
| Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2012, at 2:19 PM ET

It’s like the beginning of an Indiana Jones movie, but it’s real.

A team of archaeologists has made an incredible find at Pachacamac, near Lima, Peru. Excavating directly in front of the temple, the team found an enormous burial chamber completely intact and containing more than 80 individual remains as well as ceramic vessels, animal remains, copper and gold alloy artifacts, and masks. A dozen newborn babies and infants were found around the perimeter, and the team is investigating whether they had been sacrificed.

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Certain remains show the individuals suffered from serious illness, consistent with other skeletons found on the site, which researchers believe may have been a site where the sick sought a cure, a "Prehispanic Lourdes."

The artifacts date the tomb to around 1000 AD, and miraculously survived pillaging during the colonial period. UNESCO is reviewing the larger Pachacamac site for World Heritage Status—not surprising, especially considering this latest find.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/trending/2012/05/23/huge_tomb_discovered_in_peru_with_over_80_mummies_some_infants.html