Ancient tombs and 1,000-year-old remains uncovered during gas works

Utility workers in Peru's capital have discovered two pre-Incan tombs while expanding underground gas networks

Archaeologist Jose Aliaga works at the site where city workers discovered ancient remains, from the pre-Inca Chancay culture, and artifacts as they were digging a natural gas line on the outskirts of Lima, Peru (Associated Press)

Utility workers expanding gas networks in Peru’s capital, Lima, have unearthed two pre-Incan tombs, one containing the 1,000-year-old remains of an individual.

The discovery, made on Thursday, saw one tomb empty, while the other yielded the ancient remains alongside four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artefacts.

This is not an isolated incident for Cálidda, the natural gas distributor, which has reported more than 2,200 archaeological finds during two decades of excavation work in the city.

Archaeologist José Aliaga confirmed the vessels’ iconography and distinct black, white, and red colours "allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture," dating back approximately 1,000 to 1,470 years.

Mr Aliaga told The Associated Press that the individual was found "wrapped in a torn bundle, in a sitting position with his legs against his chest," with his team continuing to clean the remains.

“Lima is unique among Latin American capitals,” Aliaga said, “in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project.”

Archaeologist Jose Aliaga works at the site where city workers discovered ancient remains, from the pre-Inca Chancay culture, and artifacts as workers were digging a natural gas line for the company Calidda in the district of Puente Piedra on the outskirts of Lima, Peru (Associated Press)

The Peruvian capital, a city of 10 million people, has more than 400 archaeological sites from the Inca era, the 15th century, or earlier, from the pre-Inca period, according to the Ministry of Culture.

On Thursday, passersby stopped in their tracks to observe the burial site, even taking out their cellphones to take a picture.

“I always thought they were paths where no one had lived," said Flor Prieto, who was walking with her 7-year-old daughter. “But now I know that people older than the Incas have lived there…it feels so exciting.”

Archaeologist work at the site where city workers discovered ancient remains, from the pre-Inca Chancay culture, and artifacts as they were digging a natural gas line (Associated Press)

“It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals,” said Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru.

Van Dalen was not involved in Thursday's discovery.