6 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1,000-Year-Old Mass Grave in Peru Shows Victims Bludgeoned with Star-Headed Maces

Archaeologists from the University of Wrocław have uncovered a 1,000-year-old mass grave at the El Curaca site in southern Peru, revealing the brutal deaths of mostly women and children during a violent raid. The victims show clear signs of trauma inflicted by star-shaped copper maces, shedding light on the violent conflicts that occurred in the region centuries ago.

Located in the Atico River valley, El Curaca has been under systematic excavation since 2022. The burial site contains the remains of 24 individuals, carefully wrapped in shrouds and buried with grave goods, indicating that despite the violent circumstances, the community honored their dead with respect and ceremony.

“Every skull showed signs of severe trauma, likely caused by star-shaped copper mace heads or stone clubs,” said Professor Józef Szykulski, head of the excavation project and honorary professor at Universidad Católica de Santa María in Arequipa.

Despite the violent nature of their deaths, the victims were respectfully buried, wrapped in textile shrouds and surrounded by grave offerings including tools, ornaments, and pottery linked to the Chuquibamba (Aruni) culture, native to the Majes River basin south of Atico. The burial structures were even reinforced with stone walls, suggesting their community managed to repel the attackers and honored their dead with care.


Mass grave with 24 burials; bodies wrapped in shrouds. Credit: Prof. Józef Szykulski
Mass grave with 24 burials; bodies wrapped in shrouds. Credit: Prof. Józef Szykulski

In addition to this dramatic mass grave, archaeologists also found a round stone-lined burial pit containing the remains of 29 women and children, buried over a span of 40 to 50 years. Radiocarbon dating places this collective grave in the 5th–6th centuries CE. Unlike the massacre victims, these individuals showed no signs of violent death. They were interred with intricately woven Nazca-style textiles, colorful thread spools, spindles, and ornamental pendants—some featuring human faces or entire figures carved from semi-precious stones.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The unusually high number of child burials at El Curaca has raised further questions. “In most pre-Columbian communities, child mortality was already high, but here the rate appears even more alarming,” noted Professor Szykulski. One theory suggests the culprit might be arsenic contamination from nearby copper and gold deposits. The toxic element, if introduced into local water sources, could have posed serious health risks. Ongoing lab analyses in Peru may soon confirm whether this environmental hazard played a role in the community’s tragic past.

Excavated burial of one of the killed individuals. Credit: Prof. Józef Szykulski
Excavated burial of one of the killed individuals. Credit: Prof. Józef Szykulski

The burial site and its grave goods are closely associated with the Chuquibamba (Aruni) culture, a little-known yet distinct pre-Columbian society that thrived in southern Peru between the 9th and 13th centuries CE. Centered in the Majes River basin, the Chuquibamba people developed a unique cultural identity, evident in their finely crafted ceramics, vibrant textiles, and stone-lined tombs. Though influenced by neighboring civilizations such as the Nasca, Wari, and Tiahuanaco, the Chuquibamba maintained their own artistic and architectural traditions. The discoveries at El Curaca expand the known reach of this culture toward the Pacific coast and shed light on their funerary practices, social structure, and violent encounters during a turbulent era in Andean history.

The El Curaca project is being carried out by the University of Wrocław in collaboration with Universidad Católica de Santa María, under the NCN’s OPUS21 grant.

PAP

Cover Image credit: General view of the El Curaca site in the Atico Valley. Credit: Prof. Józef Szykulski

Related Articles

9th-Century Slave-Built Large-Scale Agricultural System Discovered in Southern Iraq

3 June 2025

3 June 2025

A recent archaeological study has unveiled compelling evidence of a vast agricultural infrastructure in southern Iraq, believed to have been...

Unique Ancient Bronze Miniature Portrait Of Alexander The Great Found In Ringsted On The Island Of Zealand, Denmark

12 April 2024

12 April 2024

Two amateur archaeologists have made a unique find near Ringsted in the Danish island of Zealand. A sign that one...

Will new Technology be able to Solve the Mystery in Masovia?

14 May 2021

14 May 2021

Although there are about 500 medieval tombs found in today’s Masovia and Podlasie cities, the question of who these tombs...

Phrygian Royal Tomb Unearthed in Ancient City of Gordion, Türkiye: A Landmark Discovery

4 June 2025

4 June 2025

In a major archaeological breakthrough, Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, announced the discovery of a wooden...

An ancient Roman road has been discovered in the Venice Lagoon

24 July 2021

24 July 2021

Researchers discovered a Roman road submerged in the Venice Lagoon. The finding suggests that substantial communities may have existed in...

A Gold Belt Weighing 432 Grams Unearthed During Excavations in Ani Ruins is on Display

2 July 2024

2 July 2024

The gold belt discovered 22 years ago during excavations in the ancient city of Ani, often referred to as the...

Maltaş Temple Revealed

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

Phrygian Valley, 10 meters high monument with Phrygian scriptures inscriptions on it discovered. The unearthed Maltaş monument is actually the...

Detectorist Finds 2,500-Year-Old Unique Bronze Brooch

26 August 2024

26 August 2024

A metal detectorist, who chose to remain anonymous, uncovered three artifacts, including a massive fibula, i.e. a bronze brooch dating...

Ancient fish processing factories were discovered in ancient Roman city of Balsa, Portugal

18 July 2022

18 July 2022

In the Roman city of Balsa, one of the most important and symbolic archaeological sites in southern Portugal, archaeologists have...

Archaeologists Discover Fragment of Medieval Inscription of Church in Melnik

1 March 2024

1 March 2024

124 artifacts made of stone, ceramics, and metal were discovered during archaeological excavations in the Church of the Holy Mother...

Evidence of the oldest hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe discovered in Spanish Cave

29 September 2023

29 September 2023

A team of scientists has discovered and analyzed the first direct evidence of basketry among hunter-gatherer societies and early farmers...

600 Years Old Sword and Equipment Found in Olsztyn

22 April 2021

22 April 2021

Aleksander Miedwiediew, a history buff, and detectorist discovered a bare sword, a sheath, and a knight’s belt with two knives...

5,000 years old Mother Goddess statuette unearthed in Yeşilova Mound

25 October 2023

25 October 2023

A Mother Goddess statuette, determined to be 5 thousand years old, was found during the excavations carried out in the...

Lost Kingdom of Purušhanda? Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Ovens and Hearths in Üçhöyük, Türkiye

29 September 2025

29 September 2025

Archaeologists excavating at Üçhöyük in Bolvadin, Afyonkarahisar (western Türkiye) have uncovered remarkable new evidence that may help identify the long-lost...

A Neolithic Ornate Necklace with Over 2,500 Stones found in a Child’s Grave

3 August 2023

3 August 2023

An ornate necklace found in a child’s grave in ancient Jordan about 9,000 years ago provides new insights into the...