Archaeologist Gladys Paz leads discovery of ancient sacrificial offering at Peru's Huaca Pucllana pyramid.
Archaeologists in Lima, Peru, have unveiled the skeletal remains of an adult man believed to have been sacrificed as a ritual offering near the base of the Huaca Pucllana pyramid. Gladys Paz, the lead archaeologist on the excavation, stated that the bones will provide researchers with a deeper understanding of the Lima culture's rituals and ceremonies performed hundreds of years ago. The remains were discovered inside a canal, resting on their left flank with the skull facing the pyramid and the Pacific Ocean. The Lima culture flourished between the first and seventh centuries along Peru’s arid central coast, approximately 700 years before the rise of the Inca Empire. Huaca Pucllana served as a major ceremonial and administrative center for the culture. While the discovery was made by archaeologists, professor Pieter Van Dalen noted that finding tombs and mummified remains along Peru’s coast is common, often occurring during construction projects.