Ruins of 1,000-year-old building — a first-of-its-kind discovery — unearthed in Peru
Archaeologists in Peru recently unearthed the ruins of a sprawling complex dating back to a powerful ancient empire known as the Wari State.
The team of researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Almería were exploring an earlier known settlement near the town of Orcona, when they discovered something new, according to a Nov. 27 news release from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. It was the remains of an approximately 1,000-year-old two-story building.
Experts said the building dates to the Wari Empire, sometime between the seventh and 10th centuries. The approximately 1,400-square-foot building was connected to a patio with various small warehouses.
The Wari Empire began expanding its control around the seventh century by establishing political centers throughout the Andean mountains and to territories along the coast and to the north, the university said. Most settlements that have been found from the empire were discovered in city-like enclaves, but the newly found ruins represent the first development in a rural region known to exist during the empire’s rule.
The building’s walls were made of large stones which were then covered with adobe and plastered in white and yellow. The ground floor was preserved and had evidence of food preparation and storage.
The attached patio was nearly 5,400 square feet and had storage rooms marked by walls made of large stones, according to archaeologists.
Experts said the building was likely owned by a group of the ruling class who used it as a place for servants to work various artisanal jobs, food preparation and more.
Although the structure is the first of its kind to be discovered, researchers had previously identified a ceramic model with the same configuration in a tomb in Peru, according to the university. Evidence at the building indicates that its construction was planned out and took a considerable amount of work.
Orcona is in western Peru, about 280 miles southeast of Lima.
Google Translate was used to translate a news release from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
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