Exceptional Discovery Of Ancient Fresco Depicting Mythological Scenes In Peru

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Archaeologists report they have made an exceptional discovery in Peru. An ancient fresco that has been lost for over a century has been rediscovered. Scientists have previously seen the fresco depicting mythological scenes in old black-and-white photographs, and now researchers can study the ancient drawings in detail at the site.

"It's an exceptional discovery, first of all, because it is rare to unearth wall paintings of such quality in pre-Colombian archeology," said Sam Ghavami, the Swiss archeologist who led excavations that uncovered the mural in October.

The pre-Hispanic fresco "Huaca pintada", in northern Peru, had not been seen in a century. Credit: AFP

Ghavami spent four years looking for the rock painting, which he believes could be around 1,000 years old, with a team of Peruvian students.

"The composition of this painting is unique in the history of mural art in pre-Hispanic Peru," added the archaeologist, who trained at the University of Freiburg in Germany.

The ancient uncovered mural is about 30 meters (98 feet) long and forms a part of the “Huaca pintada” temple, which belonged to the Moche civilization that flourished from the 1st to 8th century. Famous for its ceramic art, the Moche people, the Moon, the rain, iguanas, and spiders. Their ancient beliefs and artistic skills are reflected in the newly discovered, extremely well-preserved mural that has images in blue, brown, red, white, and mustard yellow paint.

A procession os ancient warriors heading toward a birdlike deity is visible in one part of the mural.

The mural is part of the "Huaca pintada" temple which belonged to the Moche civilisation that flourished from the 1st to 8th century. Credit: AFP

The painted images "appear to be inspired by the idea of a sacred hierarchy built around a cult of ancestors and their intimate links with the forces of nature,"  Ghavami told the AFP.

He told AFP that deciphering the mural's message would form part of his research. Still, he believes it "could be interpreted as a metaphorical image of the political and religious order of the region's ancient inhabitants."

Until now, archeologists had only seen the "Huaca pintada" fresco in old black and white photographs. Credit: AFP

As reported by the AFP, "the discovery is also unusual as it shows a mixture of styles and elements of two pre-Incan cultures: the Moche and the Lambayeque, who lived on Peru's north coast between 900 and 1350 AD.

The mural's existence was only known via black and white photos taken in 1916 by the German ethnologist Hans Heinrich Bruning, who was living in Peru when he heard of the site after treasure hunters tried to loot it, but found nothing of value.

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As the years went on, thick foliage took over, and no one had tried to look for the paintings until it piqued Ghavami's interest and he went in search of the long-lost fresco.

However, first he had a long battle to obtain permission from the family who own the land where the mural was found."

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer