12:56 | Chiclayo (Lambayeque region), Feb. 14.
Archaeologists at Huaca Rajada-Sipan Museum discovered a monumental Inca burial chamber dating from more than 500 years ago in Cerro Blanco mountain at Mata Indio archaeological site in Lambayeque region.
According to researchers, the burial chamber houses an important person and his companions.
Huaca Rajada-Sipan Museum archaeologist Anaximandro Nuñez Mejia affirmed the Inca tomb's dimensions and characteristics are unprecedented in Lambayeque and the country.
"This is the first burial chamber of this nature and scale reported in Lambayeque and Peru. It covers more than 60 square meters," he said.
Inca burial chamber
The enclosed space features large, simply plastered, and high-quality mud walls.
"The enclosure was built with flat rectangular sun-dried bricks with the outsides plastered with clay," Nuñez pointed out.
"Its construction started with the excavation of a grave, that was deep and large enough to house the remains of an important person and his companions —on their journey to the beyond— as well as a vast number of offerings to be placed in niches and around the individuals," he added.
So far, research has identified five adults and four 6-year-old children who were reportedly sacrificed.
(END) SDC/MAO/RMB
Published: 2/14/2019