More than 60 Inca and pre-Inca tombs, as well as ceramics, were found by city workers in Arequipa’s Selva Alegre Ecological Park, daily Peru21 reported Tuesday.
The workers were renovating the park and excavating a large hole to accommodate an artificial lake when they inadvertently discovered the Inca and pre-Inca tombs, believed to date back to 900-1200 A.D.
Though remains were found in only two of the tombs — because of exposure to the elements and tomb raiders, according to archeologist Marco López — several copper objects were found.
The discovery will be a new attraction and an on-site museum will be built in collaboration with Peru’s National Culture Institute, said regional mayor Simón Balbuena.
In addition to the Polish explorers, the expedition included American Eugene Buchanan, the editor-in-chief of Paddling Life magazine and member of New York’s prestigious Explorers Club, and Peruvian Carlos Zárate, who discovered the famous Ice Maiden or Lady of Ampato mummy, which toured the U.S. in 1996 and Japan in 1999 before returning to Arequipa.
Arequipa, known as the “White City,” is located in the southern Peruvian Andes, at an altitude of approximately 2,380 meters above sea level. The historic centre of Arequipa was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000, in recognition of its architecture and historic integrity.
