12:08 | Chiclayo (Lambayeque region), Jul. 5.
Four out of the 24 human tombs recently unearthed at Huaca Las Abejas of Tucume archaeological complex, in Peru's northern Lambayeque region, are believed to belong to the Inca nobility and court, Tucume Museum's Director Bernarda Delgado Elias revealed.
Delgado noted that one of the tombs —the first boot-shaped grave in the area— features the same characteristics of the
Inca governor's discovered a few years ago at Huaca Larga —also contained at
Tucume archaeological complex.
"This is what makes the discovery so important because if we compare the features of fabrics in this bundle, we'll see they are pretty similar to the last
Inca governor's, therefore, we are talking about the same hierarchical level of noble people," she told Andina news agency.
More than 30 ceramics were found on the site, many of them made with goose leather technology used during the Chimu and Lambayeque periods, among others.
Almost all tombs were associated with fine ceramics, knitting tools and related metal objects, mates, Spondylus shells, as well as those things of the nobility and
Inca elite.
This is the first time that so many human tombs are found in the sector. "The idea was to compare this small site with Huaca Las Balsas and explore the surrounding monuments. Seeing the connection between the sites at such an important sector was our main goal."
According to the archaeologist, if the
Incas picked this place to be buried, the area must have been of vital importance since the Lambayeque period.
"The Incas used spaces of great importance to local cultures, that is to say, if the place contained some Lords, the
Incas highlighted its importance and asked to be buried in the same area. They chose the main spots used by the cultures they had conquered," she explained.
(END) SDC/TMC/RMB/MVB
Published: 7/5/2018