“We discovered an archaeological site from the Wari period that was between 800 and 1,000 years A. D. “in the Cajamarca region, 900 kilometers north of Lima, Japanese archaeologist Shinya Watanabe told AFP on Saturday.
“Two burial chambers with pits were found at the site to deposit mummies and offerings to ancestors,” the expert said.
Each of the burial chambers has two levels and five niches in the walls containing offerings such as mollusk shells, ceramic fragments and a tripod plate with 3 conical supports.
“This is a fantastic discovery because archaeologists were looking for evidence of Wari culture,” said Watanabe, a professor at Nanzan University in Japan.
A package containing a female figure, a black Wari ceremonial vessel, two ceramic wind musical tools, and two copper flanges were also found.
The discovery took place in the Jequetepeque Valley, in the province of San Miguel in Cajamarca, bordering Ecuador.
“Many other people from different backgrounds lived here. It was a ceremonial center dedicated to ancestor worship,” Watanabe explained.
Judith Padilla, head of the cultural body of Cajamarca, said that the findings allow us to perceive “the way of life and ritual practices” of the ancient societies that inhabited the area.
The Wari culture survived between the seventh and thirteenth centuries in the territory that constitutes present-day Peru, in 1100 AD. the Wari were conquered through the nascent Inca empire.
The discovery was made through the Terlen-La Bomba Archaeological Research Project (PIA) and occupies around 24 hectares (60 acres).
The Ministry of Culture has indicated that the great objective of the studies is the sociopolitical formula of the Cajamarca culture in the Middle Horizon (900 to 1000 years AD) and its dating with the Wari culture.