Ancient Throne and Ceremonial Hall Unearthed in Peru

The two-chambered complex would have held Moche ceremonies.


By Elaina Zachos
PUBLISHED JANUARY 12, 2018

More than 1,500 years ago, an ancient Andean society of desert dwellers ruled the northern coast of Peru. Before Incan civilization and Hispanic conquest, the sophisticated Moche people lived from the 1st to the 8th centuries. They cleverly manipulated seasonal flooding to construct irrigation canals for growing corn and beans in the arid, unforgiving terrain, and they built settlements along the coast that stretched for more than 215 miles. (Read: "Ancient Canals in Andes Reveal Early Agriculture" )

But then, around A.D. 700, the society mysteriously disappeared. Some scientists say it was destroyed by catastrophic El Niño flooding, which still douses the region today. Others say the civilization succumbed to earthquakes, drought, or encroaching sand dunes, or speculate that social and cultural factors may have ripped the society apart.

Monumental ruins, gold work, elaborate ceramics, and irrigation systems are some of the remaining relics of the long-lost society. But a recent discovery is shedding some light on ceremonial practices of the cryptic culture, some of which involved human sacrifice. (Read: "New Clues About Human Sacrifices at Ancient Peruvian Temple" )

On January 8, Peruvian archaeologists publicized new chapters to the Moche saga with the unearthing of a ceremonial banquet hall at the Huaca Limón de Ucupe monument. Located 18 miles south of the city of Chiclayo in the country's northern Lambayeque region, the team found artifacts and human remains nestled among the ruins.

More:
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/ancient-peruvian-moche-civilization-throne-banquet-hall-ceremony-spd/

Images of the work going on at this site in Peru:

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