ANCIENT SKSELTONS AND OFFERINGS FOUND NEAR MACHU PICCHU
michael...@mac.com
Skeletons of 15 people along with textiles and ceramics have been
found in tombs at Machu Picchu. The textiles are in unusually good
condition. The remains were found in a cave near the railway to Machu
Picchu. Formal excavations of the site will begin in September.
Andina has the story here;
http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=9GwUOgz+kLQ=
A tiny URL;
http://tinyurl.com/5tsjs9
Mike Ruggeri
Mike R
In a follow-up story on the 80 ancient skeletons found in caves near
Machu Picchu, National Geographic has this additional information;
The sites are called Salapunku and Qhanabamba and date to 1500 CE.
Formal excavations of the bodies have not yet begun but will begin
soon. Funerary wrappings are of vegetable fiber and the ceramics at
the site are simple suggesting the dead were peasant farmers. Weaving
baskets, balls of thread, looms and textiles have also been found.
Later bone analysis will reveal age at death, sex, cause of death,
diet and perhaps occupation. Finding human remains in this humid area
is a rare event and not much is known about the population near Machu
Picchu. These remains will fill in some of the blanks.
National Geographic has the story here with one photo;
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080915-machu-picchu.html
A tiny URL;
Mike Ruggeri
Mike Ruggeri's The Ancient Americas Breaking News
http://web.mac.com/michaelruggeri