Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 19
Peruvian Archaeologists Unveil 1 Ritual Offering Skeleton at Huaca Pucllana
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 19

Peruvian Archaeologists Unveil 1 Ritual Offering Skeleton at Huaca Pucllana

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 19

Summary

  • Lima archaeologists on Tuesday presented the remains of an adult man buried near the base of Huaca Pucllana, saying he was likely placed there as a ritual offering.
  • The body was found inside a canal linked to a ceremonial pool, resting on its left side with the skull facing the pyramid and the Pacific Ocean, suggesting a sacrifice tied to the canal’s closure.
  • Gladys Paz, who led the excavation, said the bones could help reconstruct Lima culture ceremonies and clarify ritual practices from hundreds of years ago.
  • Huaca Pucllana was a major ceremonial and administrative center of the Lima culture, which flourished on Peru’s central coast between the first and seventh centuries—about 700 years before the Inca.

Insights

How many more ancient human sacrifices remain hidden beneath the bustling, upscale neighborhoods of modern Lima?
Why was a human sacrificed to close a simple canal centuries before the Incas ruled Peru?