LIMA – Researchers digging at the Cerro Patapo archeological site in northern Peru have discovered the ruins of a complete city, which may provide the “missing link” between two ancient cultures, investigators said.
Scientists say the find, located 22km (14 miles) from the Pacific coast city of Chiclayo, likely dates to the Wari culture, which existed in what is now Peru between about AD 600 and AD 1100 .
If initial assumptions prove correct, the discovery would connect the ancient Wari civilisation to the Moche culture, which flourished from about AD 100 to AD 600 .
Researchers say the buried city includes ceramics, bits of clothing and the well-preserved remains of a young woman.
The sprawling site, which stretches over 5km (3 miles), also shows evidence of human sacrifice, with special spots designated for the purpose and a heap of bones at the bottom of a nearby cliff.
“It provides the missing link because it explains how the Wari people allowed for the continuation of culture after the Moche,” Cesar Soriano, chief archeologist on the project, told Reuters.
He said the discovery provided the first evidence of Wari culture, which expanded from the country’s south, at the northern site.
The Wari people made their capital near modern-day Ayacucho, in the Andes, but travelled widely and are known for their extensive network of roads.
Earlier this year, archeologists at the Huaca Pucllana ruins in Lima, located some 800km (500 miles) south of Chiclayo, discovered a mummy that is also thought to be Wari.
Peru is a country rich in archeological treasures. It has hundreds of sites that date back thousands of years and span dozens of cultures.
Among these is the Incan empire which was in power when Spanish conquistadores arrived in the early 1500s. – (Reuters)