The Cerro Pátapo ruins or Northern Wari ruins are the remains of an entire precolumbian city relatively near the site of present-day Chiclayo,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. The ruins are primarily of the Wari (Huari) culture, which flourished from 350 CE to 1000 CE in the area along the coast and reaching to the highlands. These northern Wari ruins are distinguished from the

Wari ruins Huari or Wari is an archaeological site located near the town of Quinua, 22 km northeast of the city of Ayacucho, in the Ayacucho Region, Peru at an elevation between 2600 and 2900 meters. It was the capital city of the Huari Empire and o ...

in the

Ayacucho Region Ayacucho () is a department and region of Peru, located in the south-central Andes of the country. Its capital is the city of Ayacucho. The region was one of the hardest hit in the 1980s during the guerrilla war waged by Shining Path known as ...

to the south. The discovery was announced on 16 December 2008 by the lead

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes ...

, Cesar Soriano. The ruins both present the first evidence of Wari influence found in Northern Peru and by their quality and extent, show this was an important site. Located from Chiclayo, the ruins stretch over an area of . The Wari

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

civilization was predominantly based in south-central Peru between the 7th and 12th centuries (600 to 1100 CE.) It was known for having constructed a network of roads, and had an extensive territory. Scholars note its complex, distinctive architecture, monuments and roadbuilding as evidence that it was an empire.

Discovery

The city was part of the

Wari Empire The Wari Empire or Huari Empire was a political formation that emerged around 600 CE in Peru's Ayacucho Basin and grew to cover much of coastal and highland Peru. The empire lasted for about 500 years, until 1100 CE. It existed during the same era ...

, which ruled parts of the

Andes mountains The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, mostly in south-central Peru, between the 7th and 12th centuries CE. The site is remarkably well preserved due to the dry desert climate. Among the artifacts are pottery shards. The site includes evidence of human sacrifice, with special spots set aside and a pile of bones at the bottom of a cliff. Well-preserved remains have been found of one young woman. The ruins are expected to help scholars fill the gap in knowledge about pre-Columbian South America, which was dominated by the Wari culture and the earlier

Moche culture The Moche civilization (; alternatively, the Mochica culture or the Early, Pre- or Proto-Chimú) flourished in northern Peru with its capital near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru from about 100 to 700 AD during the Regional Development Epoch ...

. The Moche began at 100 AD and perished around 600 AD. Earlier in August 2008, archeologists at the

Huaca Pucllana Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana (possibly from Quechua ''wak'a'' a local shrine to a protector deity, a sacred place, sacred, ''pukllana'' game) is a great adobe and clay pyramid located in the Miraflores district of central Lima, Peru, bu ...

ruins in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

(located some south of Chiclayo) discovered a mummy that is also thought to be Wari. This was a more typical location for such a find, within the territory known to be Wari.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerro Patapo Ruins 2008 in Peru Archaeological sites in Peru Archaeological sites in Lambayeque Region Former populated places in Peru Wari culture

Discovery

See also

References

External links