Archaeologists from the National University of Trujillo (UNT) have unearthed the remains of four individuals buried approximately 3,800 years ago, long before the rise of the Inca Empire, in Peru’s Viru Valley.

The team discovered the skeletal remains of two children, a teenager, and an adult. Credit: National University of Trujillo

The site, located in the San Juan ravine, has been dubbed Queneto Temple 2, or architectural complex 14-1 (CA14-1), and offers new insights into the ancient cultures that thrived in the Andean region during the Early Formative period (circa 1800 to 900 BCE).

The findings were presented by the Virú Valley Archaeological Research Project (PAVI), led by PhD candidate Feren Castillo Luján and thesis student Christian González from UNT’s Professional School of Archaeology. Castillo Luján noted the urgent need for protection against threats such as land invasions and agricultural expansion, which endanger the archaeological site’s integrity.

The team discovered the skeletal remains of two children, a teenager, and an adult, all buried in a lateral decubitus position, facing the mountains. This specific orientation may hold symbolic significance, particularly in the context of Andean cosmology, where mountains are revered. “Mountains have symbolic significance in Andean cosmology and were also the source of water for irrigation in an otherwise desert landscape,” noted Jason Nesbitt, an ᴀssociate professor of anthropology at Tulane University, in an interview with Live Science, though he was not involved in the study.

The burials were accompanied by various funerary goods, including stone pendants and snail shells, which could indicate a ritualistic or ceremonial aspect to the interments. The presence of these items, along with early ceramic fragments, suggests that the individuals belonged to a culture that valued symbolic offerings and had developed complex societal structures.

The temple, where the burials were found, was constructed with cobblestone walls held together by clay plaster and featured unique architectural elements such as curved corners. Castillo Luján explained that the excavation covered a 51-square-meter area, which represents just 1% of the total site. This has allowed researchers to identify five interconnected spaces within the temple, which may have been used for rituals ᴀssociated with water worship, a critical element in ancient Andean worldviews. The early pottery fragments found at the site are similar to those from other significant settlements, like Gramalote in the Moche Valley and Huaca Negra near the coast in the Virú Valley.

Castillo Luján has called for immediate action from authorities and the local community to safeguard the site, which holds immense potential for cultural tourism and the preservation of Peruvian idenтιтy. “The tourism potential of the area is immense, but beyond that, we must think about the importance of valuing and preserving our cultural idenтιтy,” he stressed.

National University of Trujillo