3000-Year-Old Religious Center Found In Peru; Dates From The Pre Incan Era

A new archeological discovery has been made in Peru from over 3,000 years ago. Peruvian researchers in northern Peru's Lambayeque region have found a religious center from pre-Incan Chavin culture, according to archaeologist Walter Alva. The archaeological team behind the discovery is from the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum in Lambayeque. "We're thinking that it's an oracle from the Chavin epoch, with subterranean structures, enclosures and spaces reserved for the Chavin priests," said Alva in an interview with Efe.

The exact site where the discovery was made is called the Oracle of Congona and shows the Chavin influence. The site is believed to have been used during two periods in the history of Peru. "The central part of the temple is where two monoliths were found that bear images typical of the Chavin culture," said the archaeologist, according to Fox News. The discovery was made, according to Alva, after trying to test a hypothesis that each valley in the region has a temple dedicated to the water and fertility cult.

Earlier this summer, a 1,200-year-old "temple of the dead" was discovered in Peru filled with treasures, three queens and servants. The tomb was discovered in southern Peru and was secretly excavated to keep looters at bay. And rightfully so. The tomb housed 1,200 artificats including: gold earrings, silver and copper jewelry, bronze axes and silver bowls. The tomb also contained bodies of three women rulers and 53 other women who were buried in rows. "So what were these first ladies doing at the imperial court? They were weaving cloth with gold instruments," says Krzysztof Makowski Hanula, an archaeologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima and the project's scientific adviser.