A team of archeologists has found a wooden sculpture at a ceremonial center in the pre-Hispanic citadel of Chan Chan in northern Peru, a researcher said Tuesday.
“We found a wooden sculpture in perfect condition belonging to the Chimú culture in the archaeological complex of Chan Chan,” archaeologist Arturo Paredes, head of the special state project investigating Chan Chan, told AFP.
The antiquity of the sculpture varies between 850 and 1,470 years, which corresponds to the initial period of the Chimú culture, according to the scientist.
Paredes explained that the discovery took place last week at Huaca Takaynamo, a pyramidal architecture located in Chan Chan.
The pre-Hispanic citadel is located on the outskirts of the city of Trujillo, about 500 km north of Lima on the coast.
Chan Chan was built with adobe and clay, being the largest city in America and the world built with this material.
“The sculpture is 50 centimeters high by 16 centimeters wide and represents a litter bearer of a Chimú ruler, and is one of the oldest sculptures we have found in the area,” explained the researcher.
The character wears a cap with a trapezoidal cut at the top, decorated with seven vertical bands of alternating light and dark colors.
His face is flat, oval cut and painted red. The nose, with a straight profile, stands out from the plane of the face, added Paredes.
Next to the sculpture, nectandra seeds (flowering plants) were recovered, which must have formed a necklace.
Under the sculpture, a small black bag decorated with brown and white threads was recorded, the Ministry of Culture said.
The deputy minister of Cultural Heritage, Janie Gómez, stressed that the discovery confirms the value of the place.
“Our country could live very well just by valuing its (archaeological) monuments. We have a number and variety of sites with exceptional characteristics”, he praised.
Chan Chan, which means “shining sun” in the native language, is part, along with the citadels of Machu Picchu and Caral, of the most attractive archaeological complexes in Peru.
Research and conservation work carried out by the ministry through the Chan Chan Special Project at the Takaynamo ceremonial site began on April 11.
In this ceremonial center, rites such as human burials were performed, probably motivated by the cult of the feline deities they venerated.
The extent of Chan Chan reached 20 km² at its peak. It housed about 30,000 inhabitants. Now 14 km² of the complex remain, which faces threats from the weather, invasions and looting.
