Moche tomb uncovered in Peru
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 15, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 UCLA Department of Anthropology Professor of archaeology
Christopher Donnan picks up a ceramic vessel of a
mythical animal at a burial chamber in Peru in 1998.
By Hemesh Patel
Daily Bruin Staff
A UCLA archaeologist and his team recently unearthed three men
buried in separate chambers which have remained untouched for 1500
years.
In the ancient Moche settlement of Dos Cabezas, Professor of
archaeology Christopher Donnan and his colleagues found three of
the most valuable tombs ever excavated
Between 1997 and 1999, Donnan headed an investigation on the
west coast of Peru that led to the discovery of the tombs in a mud
brick pyramid, each containing a giant corpse, a sacrificed woman,
animal remains and various other artifacts ranging from ceramics to
jewelry.
“In each of these tombs were objects of great
value,” Donnan said. “We found silver nose ornaments,
gilded copper headdresses, gold-plated shields and war
clubs.”
The archeologist made one of his most striking finds at the site
as he was lifting up a copper bowl covering one of the men’s
faces.
Donnan expected to find a decaying skull but instead found an
elaborately crafted headdress.
“All the objects were very masterfully made,” Donnan
said. “One fellow had an almost life-sized funerary mask made
of gold and copper.”
The remains of those buried in the tombs were larger than the
average Moche person, whose height ranged from 4-foot-10 to
5-foot-6. The three large individuals ranged from 5-foot-9 to
6-feet tall.
“We think the individuals are genetically related,”
Donnan said. “Analysis on the skull has suggested they had
Marfan syndrome.”
Many believe Abraham Lincoln had the condition, which causes
abnormalities in growth making those affected taller than the rest
of the population.
The remains of the 18 to 22-year- old men showed signs of
extremely large bones in the fingers and in the spinal column.
 UCLA Department of Anthropology This is an example of a
burial mask, in the shape of a golden bat, that covered one of the
men who was buried in the pyramid. “They appeared to be
arthritic and 60 years of age,” Donnan said.
Aside from the peculiarity of the size of the individuals buried
in the chambers, Donnan and his team also discovered 9-inch
miniature versions of the graves outside of each rectangular
tomb.
“This is a funerary practice we’ve never
seen,” Donnan said. “To the best of my knowledge, it
has never been seen by anyone else.”
Archaeologists have not yet come up with explanations to this
part of the discovery.
Along with the ceramic and metallic treasures buried in the
chambers, researchers found sacrificial remains of a woman and of
camelids ““ animals such as llamas and alpacas.
Tom Wake, director of the zooarchaeology laboratory at the
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, said he believes the
remains found among the three giant men belonged to a royal
herd.
Camelid animals in the ancient civilization served as sources of
meat, fur and as beasts of burden.
Wake will be returning to Dos Cabezas this summer to study the
animal remains.
“I hypothesize the Moche sacrificed healthy, high status
and desirable animals for these rich and powerful people,”
Wake said.
He estimates it will take at least a month to analyze each of
the bones and compare them to animal remains found in other areas
near the site, including those where farmers and
“fisher-folk” lived.
Additionally, the Moche had an advanced agriculture, illustrated
by canal systems, irrigated corn, and other crops such as peanuts,
chile peppers and avocados, Wake said.
This discovery will provide archaeologists with a greater
understanding of the Moche civilization following a previous
discovery in Sipan that found a number of ceramics painted with
various rituals the civilization performed in ancient times.
Twenty years ago, Donnan also helped in uncovering those tombs
40 miles north of Dos Cabezas. Archaeologists call it the richest
unlooted tomb ever excavated to date.
