The Punta Lobos massacre refers to the unexplained murders of approximately 200 people in
Punta Lobos, Peru, in 1350 AD.
In 1997, members of an archaeological team performing a survey for a mining company discovered approximately 200 bodies on the beach at Punta Lobos, Peru. The bodies had their hands bound behind their backs, their feet were bound together, they were
blindfold
A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a poorly tied or trick blindfo ...
ed, and their throats had been slashed.
Archeologists say the fishermen were knifed through the
collarbone
The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavicle is the ...
—straight into the heart—in a giant
human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...
ceremony by members of the powerful
Chimu
Chimor (also Kingdom of Chimor or Chimú Empire) was the political grouping of the Chimú culture (). The culture arose about 900 CE, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, f ...
people as a sign of gratitude to their revered sea god Ni after they conquered the fishermen's fertile seaside valley in 1350 AD. Their bodies, left unburied by the Chimu and later covered up by wind-driven sand, were, despite the passage of time, found in varying states of decay—some complete with muscle tissue, hair, even fingernails.
The remains of the fishermen were discovered close to the modern-day town of
Huarmey, Peru, about 275 kilometres north of
Lima, Peru
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
. The archaeologists were conducting an impact assessment for a port project connected to a copper and zinc mine.
See also
*
Chimú culture
References
External links
nationalgeographic reportpersonal home page of a co-investigating scientist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Punta Lobos Massacre
Massacres in Peru
1997 archaeological discoveries
History of the Department of Ancash
14th-century murders
14th century in South America
Massacres by Indigenous peoples of the Americas