SHARE:
LA LIBERTAD, PERU—The Guardian reports that a 3,200-year-old mural on a mudbrick structure situated near a river in northwestern Peru depicts a knife-wielding spider god associated with rain and fertility. The image was painted with yellow, grey, and white paint in addition to ochre. Archaeologist Régulo Franco Jordán said the structure, named Tomabalito, was a shrine built by the Cupisnique culture. “It’s likely that there was a special, sacred water ceremony held between January and March when the rains came down from the higher areas,” Jordán said. Much of the site was destroyed last fall by farmers with heavy machinery, he added. To read about a feline geoglyph recently restored in southern Peru, go to "Cat's Eye View."
