Ancient Lima pyramid yields adult skeleton thought to be ritual sacrifice
Archaeologists in Lima uncovered the bones of an adult believed to have been offered in a ceremony at the base of the Huaca Pucllana pyramid.
In Lima, Peru, archaeologists revealed an adult skeleton they interpret as a ritual offering uncovered near the foot of Huaca Pucllana, an ancient adobe pyramid. Lead excavator Gladys Paz described the body as lying on its left side within a canal, with the head turned toward the pyramid and the ocean, suggesting a deliberate burial. The remains are thought to belong to a man sacrificed during a ceremony that involved sealing a canal linked to a ceremonial pool.
The Lima culture, which flourished between the 1st and 7th centuries, used the site as a major ceremonial and administrative hub before disappearing centuries before the Inca rise. The find will help scholars better understand the rites performed by this coastal civilization. Professor Pieter Van Dalen, who was not part of the dig, noted that similar tombs and burial items are frequently uncovered along Peru’s coast during construction projects.
Why it matters
The skeleton offers rare insight into the religious practices of the ancient Lima culture before the Inca era.
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