In the central part of the Lambayeque River, in the district of Saña, is located the town of Sipán, a small but cozy place that is home to less than two thousand inhabitants. But what makes this space special in the province of Chiclayo, in the department of Lambayeque? It happens that, in its territory, there is located a set of three pyramids made of adobe, which they called Huaca Rajada.
The wonderful thing about this archaeological complex, which was initially occupied by the Moche culture and later gave way to the Lambayeque culture, is that the trio of tombs found in its vicinity were part of the nobility. And, if that were not enough, in one of them the remains of none other than the Lord of Sipán, an ancient Mochica ruler from the 3rd century, were found.
The find was so impressive for basically three reasons. The first is that this area was constantly looted by huaqueros, a name given to people who dedicate themselves to stealing valuable objects from the huacas. The second was that, despite the location and the circumstances surrounding it, the tomb of the Lord of Sipán was never devastated. It remained intact until its discovery, made by the team of Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, in 1987.
The third reason was because this unveiling had a global impact: never in history had the intact remains of such a high rank of the ancient Peruvian civilization been found. It is, to date, the only discovery made in this condition. And the magnitude of the deeds by the man found increases: a powerful Moche ruler and warrior who took his steps on earth in the years 250 AD. c.
As impressive as the discovery of the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, were the objects, human and animal remains found next to him. Around 600 belongings were collected in his tomb, which includes impressive ornaments made of gold, silver, turquoise and spondylus, a type of sea shell with which artistic pieces were made. As impressive as his funerary trousseau was discovering that the remains of the 8 people who accompanied him served as sacrifices to accompany the nobleman on his journey through the other world.
The skeletons found next to the Lord of Sipán were four men (it is presumed that two were guardians and the other pair were trusted servants), three women and a child. Additionally, the remains of a dog and two llamas were present.
In Huaca Rajada, you can find an exact replica of the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, just as it was found. However, his remains were transferred to the modern Royal Tombs of Sipán museum, a tourist attraction in the northern part of Peru, inaugurated in 2002. In the Huaca Rajada Sipán Site Museum, located in the Saña district, impressive pieces are exhibited ceramics, ornaments and jewelry from the Moche, Lambayeque and Chimú cultures.
Huaca Rajada Sipan Site Museum
Huaca Rajada Sipan Site Museum is the youngest museum in the Lambayeque region, with only four years of creation.
Its importance lies in the fact that it exhibits the entire Sipán dynasty from the remains of the Noble Warrior, Lord Warrior, and recently presented the young Warrior, all of them descendants of the Lord of Sipán, who were discovered in the Huaca Rajada Sipán complex, located 30 kilometers from the city of Chiclayo.
Their showy clubs, necklaces, bracelets, pectorals, ear muffs and ceramic pieces make them the most important characters discovered by Peruvian archaeology.
The current director, Luis Chero Zurita, explains that all these characters were discovered one on top of the other, however their trousseau allowed us to decipher all the power they had more than 500 years ago.
Data of interest
To get to the Site Museum you just have to take a bus from the Epsel terminal in Chiclayo and then get to the land of Sipán, 45 minutes away, and only S/. 3.50 new soles.
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