As importantant as the discovery of the lost city of Machu Picchu...
An important discovery
I want to share this important archaeological discovery we found out about last week. An incredible nine ancient Wari tombs have been found in Cuzcu, the jungle-covered eastern slope of the Andes in Peru, near Machu Picchu. These findings are the first evidence of the Wari inhabiting Peru's jungles and may indicate that the Incas inherited much of their culture. How fascinating.
As important as the unearthing of Machu Picchu
The unearthing of these ancient tombs is said to be as important as the discovery of the lost city of Machu Picchu and Juan Garcia, cultural director for the Cuzo region, has said that this opens up a new chapter for archaeological research and forces a re-write in history.
Stepping back in time
The Wari dominated coastal Peru and part of the highlands from around 600-1200AD, but until now it was not known that they settled so far southeast. The Waris, a pre-Inca civilization, had an enormous cultural impact in the Andean region between 600 and 1200 with the Inca empire (around 1400 to 1532) being the largest pre-Columbian empire in the Americas.
362 artifacts and nine tombs
Around 362 artifacts have been found, including a y-shaped silver chest plate, a silver mask, two golden bracelets with feline figures and two wooden walking sticks laminated with silver in the tomb of a high ranking personality dubbed the Lord of Wari. The tombs lie 680 miles southeast of Lima and were discovered in 2010, but was not announced until Irina Bokova, general director of UNESCO, came to inspect the site. This year sees the celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Machu Picchu's discovery and this breakthrough allows us to further understand the Inca's heritage.
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