Reliefs of man, bird unearthed in Peru

A professor at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies has discovered reliefs depicting a man and a bird of prey dating back to about 3,000 years ago at the remains of a temple in northern Peru.

Huaca del Corte, a Moche culture ritual site
[Credit: WikiCommons]

Koichiro Shibata, an associate professor who specializes in Andean archaeology, made the find during an excavation conducted from August to September at the Huaca Partida ruins. The relief is believed to be 3 meters high and 2 meters wide.

The largest known relief dating from the ancient Andean civilization—3 meters high and 4 meters wide and featuring a jaguar, was discovered at the same ruins in 2005. The latest discovery suggests the remains are a rare example of a temple with a huge frieze possibly surrounding the structure.

Huaca Partida is located in a coastal area about 400 kilometers northwest of Lima. The ruins of the palace stretch 28 meters from south to north and 30 meters or more from east to west, with a height of 10 meters or more. The temple had chambers and cloisters on three layers of bases. The reliefs discovered by Shibata decorated the east and south walls of a chamber on the top base.

The man carved on the reliefs is believed to be about 3 meters tall and 2 meters wide. About a meter depicting a man and an eaglelike bird of prey remained—apparently one-third of the lower part of the reliefs. The man was depicted as a superhuman with his feet made of monsters’ faces and his shin bones visible through the flesh. The feathers and legs carved on the relief were confirmed as those of a bird of prey, which were considered sacred in the ancient Andes.

Famous adobe relief mural of naked prisoners being led by a warrior
at the Huaca El Brujo [Credit: WikiCommons]

Reliefs in ancient Andean ruins are often found in large temples and believed to have religious significance. Few survive, as they are made of clay and are highly vulnerable to the weather.

However, the temple is relatively well preserved, as it was covered with stones when another temple was built on top of it in a later age.

“[Part of the reliefs] clearly show their positions and combinations, which help us understand the worldview that ancient Andeans belived in,” said Shibata, a specialist in Andean archaeology.

“There must be more than 10 reliefs that we haven’t excavated yet.”

Yoshio Onuki, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo who also specializes in Andean archaeology, said: “The discovery of reliefs on such a scale is unprecedented. It’s a big discovery.”

Source: The Japan News [October 27, 2013]