Archaeologists Unearth 4,000-Year-Old Ceremonial Temple in Peru

[Judi Lynn]

Archaeologists Unearth 4,000-Year-Old Ceremonial Temple in Peru
The structure appears to predate Machu Picchu, the country’s best-known archaeological site, by 3,500 years

Ella Feldman
Daily Correspondent

July 12, 2024 1:03 p.m.

Researchers in Peru say they have found the remains of a 4,000-year-old temple and theater, a discovery that could enrich historians’ understanding of ancient religious practices in the region.

“We still know very little about how and under which circumstances complex belief systems emerged in the Andes,” says Luis Muro Ynoñán, an archaeologist from Peru’s Pontifical Catholic University who led the team, in a statement. “Now we have evidence about some of the earliest religious spaces that people were creating in this part of the world.”

The ruins appear to predate Machu Picchu, the Inca settlement that is now Peru’s best-known archaeological site, by roughly 3,500 years. The researchers say they also predate pre-Inca cultures such as the Moche and Nazca.
“We don’t know what these people called themselves, or how other people referred to them,” Muro Ynoñan adds. “All we know about them comes from what they created: their houses, temples and funerary goods.”

Last month, researchers began excavating a 33- by 33-foot plot of land located near Zaña, a town in coastal Peru. Just six feet below the surface, they found evidence of ancient walls made of mud and clay.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-4000-year-old-ceremonial-temple-in-peru-180984696/

[Judi Lynn]

1. 4,000-Year-Old Temple Predating Machu Picchu Unearthed in Peru

Intricate carvings depicting ancient gods adorn much of the structure



Field Museum scientist Luis Muro Ynoñán with the carving of a mythological bird creature in La Otra Banda, Cerro Las Animas. Courtesy of Ucupe Cultural Landscape Archaeological Project.


Adnan Qiblawi
July 12, 2024

Archaeologists working in Peru have made a truly remarkable discovery. The remains of an ancient temple and theater that have been dated to 3,500 years older than the famed ancient site of Machu Picchu have been uncovered by a team led by Luis Muro Ynoñán from the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.

While Machu Picchu, Peru’s most renowned archaeological site, was constructed by the Incan Empire approximately 600 years ago, the newly discovered temple predates it by a whopping 3,500 years. The people who built it were older than the Inca and even their predecessors, such as the Moche and Nazca cultures. “We don’t know what these people called themselves or how they were known by others. Our knowledge of them is derived solely from what they left behind: their houses, temples, and funerary goods,” Muro Ynoñán explained in a press release.



Courtesy of Ucupe Cultural Landscape Archaeological Project.

The discovery came after local authorities reported looting near the northern Peruvian town of Zaña, prompting Muro Ynoñán and his team to intervene and study the area before it was further damaged. With support from organizations like Dumbarton Oaks, Archaeology in Action, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, the excavation commenced in June 2024.
In a 33-square-foot excavation plot, the scientists found ancient walls made of mud and clay just six feet under the ground.



Details of the discovery in Peru. Courtesy of Ucupe Cultural Landscape Archaeological Project.

Further excavation revealed a large temple built into the mountainside and a small theater with a stage-like platform, likely used for rituals. “The people here created complex religious systems and perceptions about their cosmos,” Muro Ynoñán says. “Religion was an important aspect of the emergence of political authority. People used religion to wield control over each other, early leaders personified mythological figures in performances. It gives us insight into the human mind because religion is still used as a tool for political purposes today.”

More:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/4000-year-old-temple-predating-machu-picchu-unearthed-in-peru-2511434

[Judi Lynn]

2. Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Temple and Theater in Peru

BY CHRIS MALONE MÉNDEZ
MEN’S JOURNAL
UPDATED JULY 12, 2024 7:10 PM

Peru is jam-packed with ancient historical sites like the ruins of Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo. While many of these locations pertain to the Inca Empire, some pieces of history date back several thousand years, providing a treasure trove of knowledge for archaeologists to discover.

In a recent find, archaeologists working with the Field Museum in Chicago stumbled upon what appear to be an ancient temple and theater with a possible 4,000-year history. They made the discovery at the archaeological site of La Otra Banda, Cerro Las Ánimas in the northern province of Chiclayo.

According to a statement from the museum, the researchers started digging at the site last month after local government reports of looting in nearby Zaña. As a result, they got to work to "study the area before it was destroyed." Team lead and Field Museum scientist Luis Muro Ynoñán shared that they found walls of mud and clay just six feet below the ground.

The evidence seemingly points to it being the remnants of an old temple. "It was so surprising that these very ancient structures were so close to the modern surface," Muro Ynoñán said. "We think that a large temple was built into the side of the mountain, and we've found one section of it."

Read more at: https://www.heraldonline.com/living/article290026139.html