Ancient site forces experts to re-think past

[Judi Lynn]

Sunday, February 27, 2011
Ancient site forces experts to re-think past

Archeologists have discovered a group of ancient tombs in the mountainous jungle of southeastern Peru they say is as important as the discovery of the lost city of Machu Picchu.

The tombs belonging to the Wari culture were found on the jungle-covered eastern slope of the Andes in Cuzco department at a long-abandoned city thought to be the last redoubt of Inca resistance to Spanish colonial rule.

The Waris, a pre-Inca civilization, had an enormous cultural impact in the Andean region between 600 and 1200. The Inca empire (around 1400 to 1532) was the largest pre-Columbian empire in the Americas.

“It is an impressive Wari find in the Cuzco jungle that opens a new chapter on archaeological research and forces us to re-write history,” said Juan Garcia, the cultural director for the Cuzco region, as he announced the discovery late Wednesday.

More:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C02%5C27%5Cstory_27-2-2011_pg9_7

[Judi Lynn]

1. Inca tomb discovery turns up archeological trove

February 25, 2011 3:58 PM
Inca tomb discovery turns up archeological trove

http://i.i.com.com.nyud.net:8090/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/02/25/peru1_620x350.jpg

Pre-Inca lord are shown at the National Institute of Culture, INC, in Cuzco, Peru,
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011 (Credit: Associated Press)

It's being celebrated as the most important archeological finding in Peru since the rediscovery of Machu Picchu more than a century ago. Peru's government this week released details of the discovery of nine tombs dating back to the pre-Hispanic Wari civilization that existed in the country's Andes region near the city of Cusco.

Between the year 500 CE and 900 CE, the Waris inhabited the south-central Andes and coastal areas of what's now Peru.

"This is a story of great significance for the cultural heritage of our country," Peru's Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Industries, Bernardo Roca-Rey.

A team of archaeologists made the discovery in Vilcabamba, in Peru's Cuzco state. Among the findings: a Wari noble who was buried with a silver breastplate. The team nicknamed him `The Lord of Vilca' after the Lord of Sipan, which was a third century mummy discovered in the north of the country in 1987.

More:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20036551-501465.html