It was February 1987 when Dr. walter alvaThe archeologist Luis Cheroand his team decided to excavate in the Sipán area, north of Peru, in the Lambayeque region. Shortly after the excavations began, the findings were truly surprising because they found the skeleton of a warrior with his feet cut off in a tomb. In the times to which that warrior belonged, that was the symbol of perpetual vigilance, so it seemed that something else must have been hidden and that it would surely be what that warrior was watching.
Just below that warrior, a few meters deeper, was what should forever remain hidden: an underground chamber of 25 square meters. When she removed the beams that sealed the chamber, the surprise was great. Surely one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. The history of ancient Peru shown through the eyes of Dr. Walter Alva. It was the month of July of that same year, 1987.
It was a perfect set, surprisingly symmetrical, and of incalculable riches. In total, more than 600 objects were preserved practically intact inside the tomb of the Lord of Sipán. The riches and honors with which he was buried show the importance that his figure reached during his mandate. In its center stood out the small figure of a man covered in jewels, including a 92-millimeter-diameter disc made of turquoise, coral and lapis lazuli and surrounded by spheres of pure gold. The lord’s clothing also sported turquoise and a gold crown. The hollows of his eyes had been filled with two replicas of his eyes in gold. His chin was protected by a mask, also in gold, and his nose by a nose ring of the same precious metal. His chest had eleven pectorals with colored shells, turquoise bracelets, a gold ingot in his right hand (the Sun) and a silver one in the left (the Moon). Beside him a scepter topped with a gold pyramid, and finally a necklace with 71 gold spheres. But the greatest treasure found was a 62 cm diadem. wide and 42 high, of course, gold.
But the Lord of Sipan he was not alone. Next to him were the skeletons of two soldiers, also covered in gold and turquoise, who were in charge of protecting him in eternal life. Also, there were two women who were probably his wives, another woman and a child, and a dog.
Hundreds of objects with precious stones, metals such as gold and silver, and valuable ceramics appeared throughout the burial. But even so, the great wealth of this discovery was not its treasures, but to discover its history, its past, and learn first-hand the authentic past of northern Peru, its roots and culture, that of the Mochiques or Moches to whom it belonged. the Lord of Sipan.
The civilization of the Lord of Sipán
However, this magnificent find, what culture did he belong to? Where did the Lord of Sipán come from? As briefly mentioned above, the Lord of Sipán and his companions belonged to the Moche or Mochica culture, a civilization that dominated the north coast of Peru during approximately the years 100 and 700 of our era. Its name comes from the Moche valley, around which the various settlements linked by archaeologists to this culture were established.
This culture, which is still being researched, is considered one of the most advanced civilizations in the world. pre-columbian america. Divided into two well-differentiated areas, the north and the south, it is a predominantly agrarian society where the advanced architectural and engineering works of which archaeologists have managed to find remains stand out. Thus, to improve their crops and ensure their prosperity, they built complex systems of canals and dams to control the water. They also built very outstanding buildings, such as temples in the form of truncated pyramids and administrative structures that present resources as advanced for the time we are dealing with as delicate bas-reliefs.
However, they stood out as goldsmiths. As the fabulous jewelry and metal objects found in the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, the Moche had a very advanced technique of working with metals and much more modern than the one practiced in Europe at the time. Thus, the jewels and weapons that are preserved from this civilization present complex techniques such as lamination, wiring or welding, which allowed them to create enormously complex compositions. Likewise, they were also great potters and even made great progress in various fields of scientific and practical knowledge, such as navigation.
The different archaeological finds have also helped us to understand the social organization of this ancient civilization. In the first place, it is most likely that the Mochica territories were organized in the form of small states, independent of others and with their own ruler, even though they shared a common culture. most likely the lord of sipan was one of these rulers, evidencing, by his luxurious burial and the rich objects that accompany him, his condition superior to that of the rest of the people who accompanied him to the afterlife. Also significant in this regard was the discovery of the mummy of the so-called Lady of Cao, also considered as an important ruler belonging to this culture. Despite the exceptional nature of the Lady of Cao, there are still many doubts regarding the social status of women in the Mochica culture, although progress is being made in this regard.
The Mochica chiefs and rulers They ruled a stratified society. At the top of the social pyramid was the aristocracywhich had a marked military character, and the priests, linked to the complex Moche religious system, which was also closely related to the warrior sphere. After these two predominant social structures, there were what has been called the civil dignitarieswhich were all those people whose work was directly linked to the state, such as soldiers or officials related to temples or the government.
Then there were the specialized craftsmen, who were the specialists in the field of metallurgy, ceramics and weaving respectively, who were highly appreciated in the field of the Mochica civilization and were distinguished above the rest of society. Next came the vast majority of society, which was made up predominantly of farmers, fishermen and peasants in general or by those people of a low social status who are not dedicated to any of the previously indicated trades. Finally, at the base of the pyramid, we find the servants or yanaswho were under the orders of a certain person from the states already mentioned and who had a consideration similar to that of the slaves of classical European societies.
In regards to the religion Yet the mythology, the Mochica culture praised Ai Apaec as the main god. It is also known that they worshiped the sun or the Moon. In fact, the deity that represented the moon, called Si, was the one to which the Mochicas most often addressed their prayers, since it is known that the moon is very important for the tides, and the Mochicas were essentially fishermen. The Mochicas also believed that when there was a lunar eclipse it meant that the moon was being attacked, and moments of great drama and pain were experienced. When the eclipse passed, they regarded it as a triumph of the goddess. In addition, they made numerous offerings and sacrifices to her, including her own children.
In their mythology, the Mochicas collect bits and pieces from other civilizations and adjoining peoples to create a homogeneous mythology. One of the main figures is the jaguar or the crab snake, all totemic figures inspired by the animals that surrounded them.
The Mochica culture built great temples, among which the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna stand out, an archaeological complex that represents one of the main vestiges of what this culture was, representing the neuralgic and spiritual center of the Mochica culture.
It should be said that the Mochicas believed in life after death, that is, they did not believe that this life was the only one. They considered that after death we lived another life, hence they buried their loved ones with their provisions, so that they would have them in their next life.
Why is the discovery of the tomb of the Lord of Sipán so important?
When archaeologist Walter Alba and his team discovered the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, it was a great event for American archeology and worldwide. Why? Because this discovery represents the first complete proof, without traces of looting or damage, of a burial in Peru, carried out by a civilization older than the Incas.
The Lord of Sipán received this name from the location where the tomb was found, in the Moche Valley, in Sipán, Zaña district.
Now, to finish, we leave you with a video and some links that you might find interesting to complement the information in the article.
Video about the Lord of Sipán
In the following documentary you can learn more about the Lord of Sipán.
Links of interest
In Sobrehistoria we have many other articles that you may find very interesting, whether you are a lover of ancient culture such as the Mochica culture, or if you want to know more about the new cultures of the world:
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