Archaeologists in northern Peru have discovered unusual frescoes in a 1,100-year-old temple.
The temple dates from the ancient Lambayeque culture which carried out hundreds of human sacrifices. It is full of a series of excellently-preserved friezes.
Such structures are usually made from mud. They crumble easily and lost over the centuries.
But these polychrome friezes are still intact and part of a building archaeologists think was used for human sacrifices.
Located in the Chotuna archaeological complex, some 9km from the city of Lambayeque, the temple will be open to the public in just two weeks.
The complex's director says it is a unique opportunity to get up close to such an important part of an ancient civilization which experts are still trying to understand.
Now that the friezes have been uncovered, the archaeologists are fighting to preserve them and directed the construction of a roof to protect the works from the sun and rain.
The Lambayeque, or Sican, culture flourished on Peru's northern coast 1,200 years ago.
Countless archaeological finds made the area a magnet for looters for many years.
Reuters
source: newshub archive
