Archaeologists Discover Ancient Wari Ritual Complex in Southern Peru
BY KAREN K. HO
February 24, 2023 2:00pm
Drone photograph of the Wari Empire temple complex and monumental platform.
COURTESY DAVID REID/UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO
Archaeologists have discovered a 1,200-year-old ritual complex built by the Wari empire at the Pakaytambo site in southern Peru.
The complex has a D-shape temple on a large, monumental platform next to housing structures for officials and people linked to the Wari empire. The location was strategically chosen, being between the Andean highlands and coastal valleys of Arequipa and along a prehistoric transit route with ecological and political advantages.
Excavation of D-shape temple. Top insert: plastered interior wall. Bottom insert: abandonment feature on structure floor. Courtesy David Reid/University of Illinois Chicago
The Wari people developed a civilization that controlled much of present-day Peru through a linked series of complex, major centers between the 6th and 10th centuries, several hundred years before the rise of the Incan Empire.
In addition to the expansion of trade routes and direct force, the Wari brought people into its empire through shared belief and religious practices.
More:
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/archaeologists-discover-ancient-wari-ritual-complex-pakaytambo-southern-peru-1234658747/
Pakaytambo
D-shaped Wari Temple Discovered in Cusco’s Vilcabamba Jungle
Posted on December 14, 2017 by PeruTravelTrends in Archaeological Sites with 0 Comments
The Ministry of Culture announced the discovery of an enormous pre-Inca temple in the shape of the letter “D” at archaeological ruins in Espiritu Pampa in Cusco’s jungle-shrouded Vilcabamba region, northwest of Machu Picchu.
Lead archaeologist Javier Fonseca said the architectural style is consistent with the Wari, whose culture expanded out from Ayacucho in the central highlands to conquer and flourish over a wide swath of Peru starting around 450 until 1100 CE, about 300 years before the rise of the Inca Empire.
In the center of the giant retaining walls, the archaeologists found a smaller structure, also formed in the shape of a “D” which could have served as part of an astronomical observatory or to perform magical and religious rituals.
Two Wari ceremic vessels were found, one featuring a spout in the form of a human face with pronounced features, enormous eyes and an ornate crown.
The researchers also excavated a bevy of Inca artifacts, including Tupu brooches, silver pins and ceramic bottles.
https://www.fertur-travel.com/blog/2017/d-shaped-wari-temple-discovered-in-cuscos-vilcabamba-jungle/13365/
