San Miguel: a skeleton next to a colonial cross, a mystery in the archaeological complex of Maranga. [VIDEO]

He was dressed in ancient Peruvian fabrics, but a thin hand clutched a wooden cross on his chest. This is a mysterious corpse recently found in one of the more than fifty pre-Hispanic huacas that keep the Parc de las Leyendas in San Miguel, which archaeologists suspect may have been a colonial cemetery.

Along with this individual, who still has four teeth and gray hair, the remains of two other burials were discovered, one of them of an infant that remained hidden for centuries on top of the sandy Huac Tres Palos, which a millennium ago, in pre-Inca times, it served temple.

Today it extends over almost four hectares in archaeological site of Maranga and he stands helplessly on the horizon, surrounded by tarugas and anteaters locked in the cages of the Parc de las Leyendas zoo.

Archaeologists led by Lusenida Carrión, Deputy Head of the Department of Archeology Municipality of Limaresumed work in Tres Palos last July with the goal of deciphering what was the main entrance to the square during the Inca Empire.

But they were surprised to find these three burials in front of the colonial house, surrounded by textile elements, bracelets and burial cloaks, which so far raise more questions than answers.

Cross, symbol of transformation

Nothing is known about the gender, age or period in which these people lived. The only certainty, thanks to the presence of an elaborate wooden cross, is that it refers to 1532, when the colonialists arrived in the country and the transition period and the fall of inca empire.

“We don’t know for sure if this is a transitional period, just when the Spaniards arrive (…), but apparently it could also be colonial. From their arrival until 1600 and 1700,” Carrión estimates.

The scientist clarifies that the bodies of two adults lying on their backs were facing north, and their faces “looked” at the sea, where it is intuitively clear that these characters were engaged in their main activity related to fishing.

The skeleton buried with the cross holds the object with the left hand at the level of the chest, and on the wrist wears a bracelet made of worn threads, like the cotton fabrics that covered it.

“The other person has a ribbon of red, ocher, yellow and black (…) a uniform that attracts our attention. The fabric they wear is typical for the local people, it is cotton, and the colors are also (they are those) who drove,” the archaeologist clarifies.

It is speculated that because of this confluence of local and colonial elements, it could have been local settlers converted to Christianity, or marriage between conquerors and locals, problems that Carrión hopes laboratory analyzes will resolve.

Colonial cemetery?

Another big unknown pending clarification is whether the site where the burials were found, on top of this huaca, which the Incas used as a tambo (food store), was a cemetery in colonial times, or was it more of an isolated family burial.

“We assume that this could be a cemetery because we have found (bodies) almost continuously, but that is why we are expanding the excavation,” says the specialist.

If this hypothesis is confirmed, this would be the first colonial burial discovered among the 54 Huacas located at the Parc de las Leyendas Zoo, which contains graves from Lima (200–650), Ichsma (900–1450) and the Incas. (1450–1532). ), all before the arrival of the Spanish.

(As reported by EFE)

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