Peru is a place that will never cease to surprise humanity.
From remarkable cuisine to even more remarkable world wonders of the ancient world, the South American country is a dream destination for many archaeologists.
This time archaeologists have discovered a “Hall of Braided Serpents” from the ancient Moche culture, with what they think are clues that a woman could have ruled more than 1,300 years ago.
The monumental chamber that was unearthed by archaeologists in Peru features highly detailed murals of snakes and a pillared hall with a throne. The site is called “Pañamarca”, and served both as a religious and a political center for the ancient Moche culture in Peru.
Moche culture developed in northern Peru and built grand structures
The Moche culture is one of Peru’s most remarkable indigenous cultures given that they not only conquered the Andes but also learned to irrigate the desert before the rise of the Inca empire.
Something that has long been interesting to researchers was the role of women in Moche culture. Some of the most recent findings seem to suggest that the Mythology and ceremonies of this culture show that women held positions of power within Moche society. This would be a stark contrast from previous suggestions that Moche culture was dominated by male warriors and kings.
Moreover, the throne room that was found with the Hall of Braided Serpents is decorated with paintings that show a woman seated on the throne, receiving visitors, alongside pictures of a crown, the crescent moon and workshops.
The throne of the Hall of Braided Serpents was built around 650 AD
The throne seated at the Hall of Braided Serpents shows signs of erosion on its backrest, which suggests that a person did in fact sit on the throne. Additionally, researchers also found a collection of colorful stones with human hair on them.
Lisa Trever, a professor of art history and archaeology at Columbia University told the New York Times “It’s very unusual for us to see the crowned woman seated on a throne inside a building holding court.” She added, “I think we can say with some certainty that, regardless of who actually sat there, it was a throne for a queen, the throne for a woman.”
Discoveries at the north of the Pañamarca site in recent years have suggested that women were in fact very powerful within Moche culture. For instance, a tomb that was unearthed in 2006 had the remains of “Lady of Cao”, a woman with tattoos surrounded by weapons.