LIMA, Oct 24 (Reuters) - An archaeological site in the midst of Peru's bustling capital has yielded yet another pre-Incan prize, an undisturbed Wari tomb containing two corpses wrapped in ceremonial fabric, archeologists said on Thursday.
The tomb, estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, was found at the Pucllana archaeological site in Lima. It contained the bodies of an adult and an infant, along with nearly 10 intact artifacts.
The adult was likely a master weaver, said Isabel Flores, an archaeologist at Pucllana. The infant, she added, was probably killed and buried in the tomb as an offering in the adult's honor.
"When we unwrap the bodies, we will be able to determine the adult's age, position in society and gender," said Flores.
The Wari civilization was active in an area that now contains Lima from approximately 600 to 1000 AD, some 500 years before the Inca empire emerged. Seventy Wari tombs have been unearthed at the Pucllana site, which is nestled in a residential neighborhood in central Lima.
But Flores and Gladys Paz, the head archaeologist of the team that made the discovery, both said that this most recent find is among the site's richest treasures yet.
"In terms of big discoveries, this is in the top three," said Paz. (Reporting By Patricia Velez and Reuters TV; Writing by Lucas Iberico Lozada; editing by Doina Chiacu)
Related
Before You Go
