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Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkable 600-year-old tomb in Peru, untouched by looters for centuries, a find being hailed as the “discovery of the decade.”
The ancient burial site was revealed beneath the ruins of a citadel on Peru’s northern coast, within the historic Chan Chan complex. While Chan Chan has been studied for many years, this marks the first time an undisturbed tomb has been found in what was once the capital of the Chimu kingdom.
Inside the more than 3,000-square-foot mausoleum, researchers found 38 bodies believed to be members of the Chimu elite. Lead archaeologist Jorge Meneses described the moment of discovery as filled with “anxiety and urgency,” unsure if they had truly uncovered a chamber untouched by looters.
Meneses emphasized the significance of the find, explaining that prior knowledge of elite Chimu burials largely came from disturbed sites, private collections, and museum artifacts, with little scientific data on the individuals themselves or their associated burial goods.
The Chimu civilization thrived from roughly 900 to 1470 AD, before being overtaken by the Inca Empire. Gabriel Prieto, an anthropology professor at the University of Florida who was not involved in the dig, told the New York Times, “This is the discovery of the decade in terms of it’s the very first time that, as archaeologists, we are able to see an elite Chimu burial.”
This unprecedented find offers a rare and valuable glimpse into the burial practices and social structure of a civilization that has long fascinated historians and archaeologists alike.