Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - In July, archaeologists and conservators at the Moche site of Pañamarca in Peru's Nepeña Valley made a significant discovery: a pillared throne room adorned with imagery, indicating its use by a high-status female leader. During its latest field season, the Archaeological Landscapes of Pañamarca project uncovered unique painted architecture at this site.
Established in 2018, the project explores ancient activities in and around Pañamarca. It is a collaborative effort involving Peruvian and US archaeologists, art historians, and conservators, supported by organizations such as the National Geographic Society and Columbia University's Institute of Latin American Studies.
Left: Figures painted onLisa Trever stands, with research assistants Joseph Senchyshyn and Riley Tavares, behind the painted throne within the Hall of the Moche Imaginary. Photograph by José Antonio Ochatoma Cabrera a pillar within the Hall of the Moche Imaginary. Photograph by Lisa Trever - Right:
Pañamarca represents the southernmost monumental center of the Moche culture—a civilization that thrived in northern Peru's coastal valleys from approximately 350 to 850 CE. The Moche are renowned for their opulent tombs, impressive architecture and artworks, as well as intricate religious artifacts and imagery. Situated on a granite hill in the lower Nepeña Valley, Pañamarca features an imposing stepped adobe platform alongside two expansive lower platforms, a large walled plaza made of adobe bricks, and various other structures, including an early masonry building from the Formative period.
Woman weaving with a backstrap loom in the mural painting of the textile workshop discovered within the Hall of the Image Imaginary in 2024. Photograph by Lisa Trever
Pañamarca is particularly famous for its vibrant wall paintings, first documented in the 1950s. These murals within plazas and platforms depict priests and warriors marching in procession, battles between supernatural entities, an unusual two-faced figure, and ceremonial scenes involving human captives. However, until now, no throne room for a queen has been discovered at Pañamarca or anywhere else across ancient Peru, making this find truly unprecedented.
A Throne Room Fit For A Queen
The adobe throne was discovered in what project director Jessica Ortiz Zevallos has termed the "Hall of the Moche Imaginary" (Sala del Imaginario Moche). This hall is adorned with walls and pillars illustrating four distinct scenes featuring a powerful woman, depicted in some instances receiving visitors in procession and, in another, seated upon a throne.
View of the crowned woman with scepter (upper left), procession of men behind her carrying objects (upper right), and textile workshop (below) painted on a wall revealed within the Hall of the Moche Imaginary in 2024. Photograph by Lisa Trever
Previous research seasons have documented numerous painted surfaces within this hall, showcasing images of elegantly dressed men and women, warriors with features resembling spiders, deer, canids, and serpents, and multiple battles involving the Moche mythic hero against sea-based adversaries.
The woman portrayed on the walls and pillars of the throne room—and on the interior surfaces of the throne itself—is linked to symbols such as the crescent moon, marine life forms, and spinning and weaving arts. Murals uncovered in July feature a rare depiction of a workshop where women are engaged in spinning and weaving activities.
Additionally seen is a procession of men carrying textiles along with the female leader’s crown complete with her braids. Lisa Trever from Columbia University notes that "Pañamarca continues to surprise us," highlighting not only its painters' unending creativity but also how their works challenge preconceived notions about gender roles within ancient Moche society.
Painted architecture within the Hall of the Moche Imaginary revealed in 2024. Photograph by Lisa Trever
There remains scholarly debate over whether this woman depicted is human or mythical—possibly a priestess, goddess, or queen—but physical evidence from the throne itself suggests an actual person indeed occupied it. The erosion found on its back support, alongside recovered greenstone beads, fine threads, and even human hair, strongly indicates that it belonged to a seventh-century female leader from Pañamarca.
The Hall Of The Braided Serpents
The excavations at Pañamarca's plaza have uncovered a monumental structure previously unknown to researchers. This structure, known as the Hall of the Braided Serpents (Sala de las Serpientes Trenzadas), features wide square pillars adorned with unique paintings of intertwining serpents with human legs—a motif not found in other Moche art.
Archaeologists Michele Koons and Lisa Trever study the painted architecture of the Hall of the Braided Serpents. Photograph by Rick Wicker
Additionally, the walls display images of warriors, anthropomorphized weapons, and a large monster pursuing a man. The Hall underwent several renewal events that involved significant material offerings, particularly textiles, as well as burning rituals, careful capping of floors, and whitewashing of previously decorated walls.
Moche figure with human body and spider features carrying a goblet, painted on a pillar within the Hall of the Moche Imaginary. Photograph by Lisa Trever
“Perched above the plaza, this hall offered a prominent position—almost like box seats at a theater or stadium—from which to observe the goings-on down below, while it also provided private spaces for its privileged occupants,” explains archaeologist Michele L. Koons of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in a press release.
The archaeological work at Pañamarca aligns with conservation efforts. A skilled team excavates, stabilizes, documents, and studies painted architecture using both artisanal illustration and advanced 3D digital recording methods.
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Due to their fragility, the murals aren't open to tourists. Project archaeologist José Antonio Ochatoma Cabrera explains that the murals would deteriorate like those uncovered in the 1950s without a conservation program.
After each season, excavations are covered following Ministry of Culture guidelines to ensure preservation. Project director Jessica Ortiz Zevallos mentions investments in roofs and windbreaks for protection alongside digital renderings shared widely through panels at the site entrance, scholarly publications, media outlets, and online platforms like Pañamarca Digital, launched in 2023.
Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer
