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Researcher discovers old jaguar relief in Peru |
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Written by Xiuhcoatl
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Jan 20, 2006 at 03:17 PM |
Researcher discovers old jaguar relief in Peru
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A Japanese researcher has recently excavated a large relief depicting
two jaguars from the ruins of a Peruvian temple built in about 750
B.C., The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The relief is 2.8 meters high and is in a temple in the Huaca Partida ruins in northern Peru.
"It's the largest known relief dating from this ancient Andean
civilization to show animals," said Koichiro Shibata, a researcher at
the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, who conducted the
excavation.
The relief is a major discovery that might help solve the mystery surrounding the dawn of the Andean civilization.
The ruins are located in a coastal area, about 400 kilometers north of
Lima. The temple is more than 25 meters long and more than nine meters
high. Atop what appears to be a three-tiered base sits a courtyard and
corridors adorned with eight pillars. The two reliefs are on the
highest tier's south wall, and the one that faces west is particularly
well preserved.
The jaguars' heads alone stand 1.6 meters high and the reliefs measure 50 centimeters at their thickest point.
Ancient civilizations in Latin America worshiped the jaguar as a royal
symbol or supernatural power. The newly excavated relief is believed to
depict an ancient myth in which jaguars played a central role.
"It's extremely unusual to find a temple adorned this lavishly in a
coastal area," said Tokyo University professor emeritus Yoshio Onuki, a
specialist on ancient Andes civilizations. "It will force a review of
the links between the ruins in the mountains and those found nearer the
coast."
(Jan. 12, 2006) |
Archaeology 