9 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The human remains of 29 people buried as offerings in a pre-Inca temple were found at the Huaca Santa Rosa de Pucalá excavation site

The human remains of 29 people buried as sacrificial offerings have been discovered in a pre-Inca temple in northern Peru.

These remains could help experts rewrite pre-Inca Wari history, the lead researcher said Friday.

Researchers discovered four graves containing the bones of toddlers and teens at the Huaca Santa Rosa de Pucalá excavation site in Peru’s Lambayeque area.

It is the first time a discovery linked to the Wari civilization has been made this far from their area of influence, Edgar Bracamonte, the lead researcher, told AFP

“These discoveries allow us to rethink the history of the Lambayeque region, especially the links to Wari and Mochica occupations in the area,” said Bracamonte.

As well as the human remains, the team discovered camelids and guinea pigs showing signs of sacrificial practices.

They were originally buried as offerings at the time of the construction of the first of the three enclosures, according to the team behind the discovery from the Lambayeque Valley Archaeological Project
The remains of humans and animals are part of a possible ritual that was carried out at the time of starting construction on Wari-style religious spaces, researchers said.

It is the first time scientists have recorded this form of human offering associated with the Wari civilization, a civilization that lived between 500 and 1000 CE in the south-central Andes and coastal area of modern-day Peru. So far three of the enclosures discovered at the site have been excavated.

Researchers believe that the bones of humans and animals were part of a probable ceremony performed at the time of the start of building on Wari-style holy facilities.

A ceremonial temple was also unearthed during the excavation.

Lambayeque-Valley-Peru
They were originally buried as offerings at the time of the construction of the first of the three enclosures, according to the team behind the discovery from the Lambayeque Valley Archaeological Project.

Bracamonte said: ‘It is a temple built with walls made of clay as formwork and that include clay maces as prototypes of adobes inside the walls. The upper part of the temple presents very well elaborated floors, ceilings of vegetal remains, and evidence of the incineration of objects were found.’

Bracamonte said the temple was built by a group of people with local characteristics, showing that during the years 400 to 200 BCE.

These fresh findings have increased the number of Wari-period ritual places, compelling experts to reinterpret Lambayeque’s past.

Related Articles

The Bronze Sacred Sanxingdui Tree Number 3 is Being Restored

9 April 2021

9 April 2021

According to the announcement of the Sanxingdui Museum, archaeologists have begun to assemble and restore the No. 3 bronze sacred...

Archaeologists find the earliest evidence Maya sacred calendar in the Guatemalan pyramid

14 April 2022

14 April 2022

Archaeologists identified two plaster fragments depicting a date that the Maya civilization called ‘7 deer’ and was part of the...

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...

Royal-Memorial Inscription Attributed to King Sargon II Discovered in Western Iran

25 April 2021

25 April 2021

In western Iran, Iranian archaeologists discovered a part of a royal memorial inscription attributed to the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II....

Britain’s Largest Iron Age Gold Coin Hoard: A Possible Tribute to Julius Caesar?

16 May 2025

16 May 2025

In a stunning revelation, British authorities have recently announced the discovery of an unparalleled Iron Age coin hoard, a singular...

The Colchester Vase: New Analyses Uncover Evidence of Gladiatorial Combat in Roman Britannia

23 February 2025

23 February 2025

The Colchester Vase, dating back to A.D. 160–200, is not just a ceramic artifact; it is considered a unique graphic...

Sacred Seduction: Kamasutra Feminism and the Legacy of Ancient Erotic Temples

8 April 2025

8 April 2025

For many, the Kamasutra is merely a name linked to condom brands and erotic chocolates, often dismissed as just a...

Earliest Multiplication Formulas Discovered in a 2,300-Year-Old Chinese Tomb

27 December 2023

27 December 2023

Archaeologists excavating a tomb in the Qinjiazui archaeological site of Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, China, have found the earliest multiplication...

Roman influence period artifacts discovered by history enthusiasts in northern Poland

16 March 2024

16 March 2024

Local history enthusiasts from the Wendrusz Historical and Exploration Society have discovered four fibulae, a ring, and fragments of decorations...

Ceremonial meals may have been served in the 4500-year-old structure unearthed in the Yumuktepe Höyük in Southern Turkey

3 November 2021

3 November 2021

A 4,500-year-old structure containing a jar, many pots, and food fossils has been unearthed at the Yumuktepe Höyük (mound) in...

3,000-year-old Drill Bit Workshop Unearthed in Vietnam’s

13 May 2021

13 May 2021

According to the provincial museum, an ancient drill bit workshop dating back more than 3,000 years has been discovered at...

A 2,000-year-old wooden bridge that once linked England and Wales discovered

31 August 2023

31 August 2023

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Roman and Anglo-Saxon fortifications in the town of Chepstow in the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, however,...

Unique 2700-year-old mosaics unearthed in illegal excavations

17 November 2021

17 November 2021

Two 2700-year-old mosaics, which are thought to belong to a Roman rich man and symbolize magnificence, were found in a...

A previously unknown Roman fort discovered in Pembrokeshire in Wales

8 August 2024

8 August 2024

A previously unknown Roman fort has been discovered in north Pembrokeshire. The site, which has excited archaeologists, had been hidden...

The 3200-year-old Mycenaean figure that brought Ephesus together with the Hittite civilization: Found in the excavations of Ayasuluk Tepe

11 June 2022

11 June 2022

A 3,200-year-old Mycenaean figurine that could change the perspective on the history of civilization in Western Anatolia during the Bronze...