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In
the fourth century AD, the Moche people buried one of their
greatest warlords. He was buried with his head pointing south,
his nose and ears covered with gold relics and his feet clad
in silver. To accompany him, his subjects sacrificed women,
children and llamas, while the finest warriors of the era
accompanied their overlord on his voyage to the Afterlife.
More than 1,700 years later, the warlord made his triumphant
reappearance. Not that he did it by himself: in 1987, a team
of archaeologists led by Walter Alva found the skeleton of
the Lord of Sipán 29 km from the city of Chiclayo in
the department of Lambayeque, on Peru's north coast. It was
hailed as one of the most important archaeological finds of
the century.
The structure found in Sipán is made up of three pyramids,
one of which contained the warrior-priest accompanied by the
bodies of his followers. But more than just the spectacular
nature of the discovery and the sterling quality of the relics,
the Royal Tombs of the Lord of Sipán have enabled historians
and archaeologists to piece together much of the lost history
of an impressive civilization which dominated most of northern
Peru for centuries: the Moche.
After spending years on exhibit in the Americas, Europe and
Asia, the treasures of the Lord of Sipán are now on
display at the Brüning Museum in the town of Lambayeque.
Peru hopes to build a state-of-the-art on-site museum and
cultural center to guarantee the preservation of the bodies.
This will ensure the ancient noble will continue to unravel
his mysteries for future generations. |
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