Post date: Feb 26, 2013 10:52:44 PM
Archeologists say they have uncovered pre-Incan remains dating as far back as 200 AD at a sports club in Lima.
LIMA, PERU (FEBRUARY 26, 2013) (REUTERS) - Archaeologists discovered the remains of 11 pre-Incan mummies buried at an archaeological site abutting a Lima sports club.
Archeologists said the remains of three of the people buried here were from the Limaculture, which dated from about the years 200 to 700 while the other eight belonged to the Yschma culture, which lived in the area from around 1100 to 1400.The tombs were found within the ruins of the Tupac Amaru A and B monument which the Villa Deportiva de Lima sports club was built over in the 1990s.
Archeologists say the monument was part of an administrative site for the Lima but was later used as burial grounds by the Yschma.
"What we've found here are a series of bones that belong to two different cultures. One is the Lima culture which was from the year 200 to 700 AD, and the Yschma remains from the years 1100 to 1400 AD," lead archaeologist at the site, Fernando Herrera, said.
Researchers said it was a wonder the human remains stayed intact over the centuries considering the construction, the surrounding urban environment and changes the area has seen over the years.
About 50 percent of the Tupac Amaru monument has been destroyed by surrounding modern structures.
The bodies were buried with offerings, but scientist say they have not yet determined the sex of the remains or the exact years they were buried here.
"Using the evidence we have, basically what we've found is that some of them might have been farmers, because of the elements they were [buried] with; farming equipment for making holes, and to toil the ground. In other cases, like the person here, there seems to be a sort of hierarchy due to the vessels it has. It would have been a very important person buried inside the Tupac Amaru A monument," Herrera added.
The remains of those from the Lima culture were placed face up into specially prepared cavities and on top of woven reed mats. They were buried with offerings and covered in textiles.
The Yschma, who arrived after the Lima, expanded the monument and made it into of cemetery, according to Herrera. These remains were buried in a crouching position.
Scientists are still researching the mummies which will eventually be brought to Peru's National Museum.
Hundreds of archaeological sites are scattered across Lima, and in some cases Catholic churches or mansions were built on top of them after Spanish conquistadores arrived.
Many huacas, as Peruvians call them, were paved over during centuries of urbanization in Lima.
In recent years, many huacas have been restored and turned into museums.