Archaeologists have found an old polychrome wall in northern Peru. It is believed to be more than four thousand years old, and it might have been in a special temple for ceremonies. This discovery helps us learn more about past cultures in the area.
Polychrome brickwork is a way of making buildings that was first utilized in the pre-ceramic period. In this style, bricks of various colors, such as brown, cream, yellow, red, blue, and black, were used together in patterns.
These patterns were utilized to construct important parts of buildings, including the arches around windows so that they would stand out. Sometimes, they were also placed on walls merely for decoration.
Discovery of the polychrome wall by archaeologists
In 2020, while farmers were working in their fields, they accidentally found the wall. Afterwards, archaeologist Feren Castillo, who leads a research project in the coastal area of La Libertad, and his team began digging even more to figure out where it came from.
“Three years later we started a new procedure whose results showed us its age…Today we are sure it’s a building…[from] the Pre-ceramic Period (the initial period of the Andean civilizations) between 4,000 and 4,500 years ago,” the experts from the team explained.
More details about the wall
The Viru Valley, located approximately 480 kilometers (about 298 miles) to the north of Lima, has brought to light the remains of an ancient structure.
Archaeologist Castillo revealed that the wall stands at a height of approximately three meters, equivalent to 9.84 feet. The intriguing feature of this wall is the presence of triangular geometric lines, occasionally adorned with hints of red and yellow shades which look amazing, as noted by Castillo.
He further added, “The most important section…must have been a pre-ceramic temple, with a hearth at its center that we will likely be able to excavate later.”
Northern Peru and valuable discoveries
Northern Peru is like a treasure trove for archaeologists. There are many valuable discoveries there. For example, there’s Caral, a place that’s around five thousand years old. Furthermore, there are the big lines in Nazca that were drawn on the desert over 1,500 years ago in the Ica region.
The magnificent walls of the citadel of Sacsayhuaman on the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco, Peru. No mortar. The heaviest stones weigh up to 200 tons. These impenetrable walls are thought by many to have been built by either the Nephlium or Annunaki. pic.twitter.com/XcYEJMQmEI
— Not El Chapo (@ScottEnlow) August 23, 2023
In Peru, the top spot for archaeology can be found in the Cusco region. It is, namely, Machu Picchu. This place is comprised of the remnants of the Inca Empire, which ruled the southern part of the continent five hundred years ago. The empire stretched from southern Ecuador and Colombia down to central Chile.