Moche Ceremonial Rooms Unearthed in Peru

LIMA, PERU—Reuters reports that two chambers thought to have been used for elite Moche political ceremonies some 1,500 years ago have been found at the Limon archaeological complex in Lambayeque. Archaeologist Walter Alva said similar rooms have only been seen in illustrations made by the Moche. In one room, thought to have been used for feasting, Alva and his team uncovered two thrones. A circular podium, perhaps used for making announcements, was found in the second room. The walls were decorated with pictures of fish and sea lions. “These scenes had been depicted in the iconography of the Moche world but we had never been lucky enough to physically find where they took place,” Alva said. “It’s a very important finding.” To read in-depth about the Moche, go to “Painted Worlds.”