Archaeologists uncover extraordinary Moche throne and murals of female leader in Peru

euronews (in English)

Archaeologists in Peru have uncovered an ancient throne and murals depicting a powerful female figure from the ancient Moche culture at the Pañamarca archaeological site.

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00:00Pana Marca is an absolutely remarkable site, and the discovery is quite extraordinary because

00:21it really does confirm that in this later Moche period, that this particular powerful

00:26female figure that has been variably dubbed as a queen, or a goddess, or a priestess,

00:32la sacerdotista in Spanish, rose to preeminence in this particular era.

00:37You see this not only at Pana Marca, but at other sites in the northern part of the Moche

00:42world.

00:54It's very clear that in the late Moche period, I mean, the main elite tombs that we really

00:59find are that of women, and those depicted in the iconography are female figures.

01:05And in fact, we even see sort of a transition, especially in the northern valleys where I

01:10work, where the sacrificial victims seem to be a shift in emphasis from male to female.

01:17And that actually is a demonstration of the high status of women, because sacrifice was

01:23the ultimate offering.

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