TOMB DISCOVERY AS IMPORTANT AS MACHU PICCHU

Buenas noticias para el sector del turismo en el Perú, especialmente el interno:

The discovery of nine ancient tombs in the Peruvian jungle is being called the most important find since Machu Picchu.

The tombs belong to the Wari, a pre-Incan civilisation, and were unearthed in the highland province of Cuzco (pictured above). Experts expect to also unearth a city in the area, possibly that of the legendary lost city of riches, Paititi.

"It opens a new chapter on archaeological research and forces us to re-write history," Juan Garcia from Peru's ministry of culture said. "The discovery is one of the most important ever, and is comparable to Machu Picchu."

The site, known as Vilcabamba, was the Inca's last foothold of resistance against the Spanish before their nearly 400-year reign over the region came to an end in 1572AD. The Wari dominated coastal Peru and part of the highlands from around 700-1200AD, but until now it was not known that they settled so far southeast.

The find -- the first evidence of the Wari inhabiting Peru's jungles -- suggests the civilisation may have dominated other areas later taken over by the Incas, and indicates that the Incas will have inherited much of the Wari culture.

"The Incas could have been inspired by the Wari culture, enabling them to develop their entire political system,'' speculated Juan Ossio, Peru's minister of culture.

Archaeologists discovered the tombs -- which lie 680 miles southeast of Lima -- in 2010, but the news remained under wraps until Irina Bokova, general director of UNESCO, came to inspect the site.

Around 362 artefacts have already been studied, including a silver breastplate belonging to a noble referred to as the Lord of Wari. A silver mask, gold bracelets, silver-coated walking sticks and feline figurines were also discovered. According to Juan Garcia, the nature of the artefacts suggest close links between the Wari and the Nazca -- a coastal civilisation that dissipated around 750AD.

Nazca culture appears to have been passed on to the Wari, and likewise the Wari to the Incan. Although July 2011 sees the region's most famous ancestors being celebrated when the 100-year anniversary of Machu Picchu's discovery is marked, it seems there may be more to be learned from the Inca's Wari predecessors -- the Wari reigned in the region for a longer period and, if rumours of the city of treasures Paititi existing on the site are realised, then they may finally come to prominence in the history books.

Fuente: Wired.co.uk