Expedition finds America's oldest temple?
Published 12 November, 2007, 07:57
A 4,000 year-old temple has been unearthed in the Lambayeque valley, on the northern coast of Peru. According to the expedition's leading archaeologist, Walter Alva, carbon-dating tests indicate the Ventarron temple is one of the oldest finds in the Americas.
Lambayeque is 472 miles from Lima, Peru's capital.
The temple was found near the ancient Sipan complex unearthed by Walter Alva in the 1980s. It was built of mud bricks and some of its walls are covered with red and white murals.
The temple is situated inside a larger ruin and includes a staircase leading to an altar, which is thought to have been used for worshipping fire and making sacrifices.
“The discovery of this temple is evidence that the region of Lambayeque was a cultural hub between the Pacific coast and the rest of Peru,” said Alva.
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