Archeologists have uncovered the 1,300-year-old skeleton of a ruler or priest of the ancient Tiwanaku civilization together with precious jewels inside a much-looted pyramid in western Bolivia. The bones are "in very good condition," Roger Angel Cossio, the Bolivian archeologist who made the discovery, said Wednesday.
He said the tomb — containing a diadem and fist-sized carved pendant of solid gold — survived centuries of looting by Spanish invaders and raiders who depleted Tiwanaku of many precious treasures.
"After so much looting … miraculously this has stayed to tell us the history," Cossio said.
"It's a complete body…. Next to it are jewels, offerings and a llama," he said.
The llama may have been a status symbol or a source of food for the journey to the afterlife, archeologists said.
The corpse was found in a niche carved inside the 15-yard-high Akapana pyramid, which was built around 1200 BC and is described as one of the biggest pre-Columbian constructions in South America.
At its peak, the city of Tiwanaku stretched over 1,480 acres and had a population of more than 100,000, according to chief archeologist Javier Escalante, who presented the findings Wednesday at a news conference near the pyramid.
The Tiwanaku civilization spread throughout southwestern Bolivia and parts of neighboring Peru, Argentina and Chile between around 1500 BC and AD 1200.
(From Reuters)
1 comment:
PEACE. Words from a man you dont know...I love what your doing when expressing your freedom of speech. I just wish for more people such as yourself. It seems like people with biased minds are increasingly out-numbering those with an open mind. It's a shame that a people would go out of their way to deplete or discredit another nation of people's heritage and teachings. This has plagued man before any disease.Stay focused. PEACE,AND,LOVE.
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