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First Undisturbed Elite Tomb Found at Peru's Chan Chan
- On Tuesday, Peruvian Culture Ministry archaeologists announced discovery of an intact funerary platform within the Utzh An complex at Chan Chan containing 38 human remains and numerous artifacts dating roughly 600 years old.
- Lead archaeologist Jorge Meneses Bartra reported that a layer of stone fill inadvertently protected the tomb from looting for centuries, providing rare undisturbed evidence of Chimú elite burial practices previously known only from looted sites.
- Excavations revealed metal weapons, textiles, and shell necklaces alongside human remains; experts identified bright red pigment on skulls, likely cinnabar, suggesting ritual significance reserved for Chimú elite.
- Using high-precision 3D photogrammetry, specialists documented each burial before removal to preserve fragile context; researchers are launching laboratory analyses to clarify social hierarchies during Inca expansion.
- According to anthropologist Gabriel Prieto, evidence indicates these mausoleums were "designed to be open," challenging traditional views of closed burials; conservation work is scheduled ahead of heavy rains expected in November.
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58 Articles
58 Articles
An archaeologist described the tombs as "the discovery of the decade", as they are the first burials of the kingdom of Chimu that have escaped centuries of looting.
·Buenos Aires, Argentina
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The remains of at least 38 people and metal weapons have been found near Chan Chan, in a burial site that is about 600 years old.
·Budapest, Hungary
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Total News Sources58
Leaning Left7Leaning Right8Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Center
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center
40% Center
L 28%
C 40%
R 32%
Factuality
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