25 Chimu Burials Uncovered in Northwestern Peru

News November 11, 2021

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TRUJILLO, PERU—According to an Andina report, the remains of 25 people and some 70 artifacts and ceramic vessels have been uncovered in a raised area near the southern wall at Chan Chan, the 1,100-year-old Chimu capital on the coast of northern Peru. “Most of them [the remains] belonged to women under 30 who were buried with objects used in textile activities, a couple of children, and a couple of teenagers,” said archaeologist Jorge Meneses. He and his colleagues think the area may have been a burial site for the Chimu elite. Sinthya Cueva of the Chan Chan Archaeological Research Program thinks the area may have been a pre-Hispanic cemetery where additional remains will be found. For more on Chimu burials, go to "Peruvian Mass Sacrifice," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2019.

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