Sacrificed guinea pig remains found in 800-year-old tomb in Peru, researchers say

An ancient tomb containing skeletal remains of humans — and guinea pigs — was recently unearthed along the coast of Peru.

The grave was discovered at an archaeological site in Huaral, a town about 50 miles north of Lima, according to a Feb. 10 news release from the National University of San Marcos.

The remains of two adults and one child were found under several feet of rocky soil.

Two of the bodies, believed to be a mother and a son, were wrapped in cloth bundles while the third was exposed to the elements, perhaps as a result of looting, researchers said.

The individuals were buried around 1200 A.D. and were likely low-status members of the Chancay culture, a civilization that developed along the Peruvian coast prior to the Spanish conquests in the 16th century.

Also found inside the tomb were ceramic vessels filled with the remnants of food, including corn, fruit and cotton seeds. The remains of guinea pigs were encased in the vessels, as well.

The animals likely would have been sacrificed as part of a funeral ritual, which would have lasted several days and involved singing and dancing, researchers said.

Death had a mystical connotation and was significant in Chancay society, Dr. Pieter van Dalen, the lead archaeologist, said in the release. After the funeral, ceremonies were probably held periodically to honor the dead.

The Huaral site, known as Macatón, contains numerous family tombs and is one of the most extensive Chancay cemeteries ever discovered, researchers said.

Other Chancay tombs have been found with elaborate bundle wrappings, some of which included metal ornaments and feathers from Amazonian birds, according to research published in 2020 in the journal Radiocarbon.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the National University of San Marcos.

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