‘Strange’ tomb in Peru holds skeletons of people with ropes around their necks, hands tied behind their backs, archaeologists say
By searching a temple in Peru, archaeologists have found the remains of 2,300 years over a dozen people, some of whom show evidence of human sacrifice.
The burials bear rare characteristics, said archaeologists.
“The way they were placed in the tomb is strange,” Henry TantaleánProfessor of archeology at the National University of San Marcos who head the team, told Live Science in an email. They were positioned “with their faces on the ground, an unusual burial scheme throughout Andean prehistory”.
Several of the people had skull fractures, said Tantaleán, and some had ropes around their neck and their hands attached behind their back. These discoveries suggest that individuals have been sacrificed, he said, noting that “they were not accompanied by any serious offer or goods, which is also unusual”.
The team discovered burials near the PueMape temple complex on the northwest coast of Peru in 2024 and the excavation work continued in 2025, according to Tantaleán. While the temple is about 3,000 years old, burials date from an hour later, around 400 to 200 BC, the temple may have been abandoned before human sacrifices are made.
“They would have been a sacrifice offered to this old place of worship,” said Tantaleán.
In relation: Pré-Inca burials rare of 4 people found in the “cult water” temple in Peru
But archaeologists know little about who were the sacrificed people. “Perhaps these are people who lived in the same region, although we also have the hypothesis that they could have come from the neighboring valley,” said Tantaleán.
The analysis of skeletons is underway and the team plans to conduct studies, in particular DNA Test, learn more about people’s identities. The team also analyzes ceramics, animals and plants found in the temple complex.
Team research was supported by the University of Florida du Sud, with a team Directed by the archaeologist Charles Stanish.
