COLOMBIA: Pre-Incan treasures go on display at the National Museum

An ancient pre-Incan leader's remains arrived in Bogota Thursday (May 17) for the opening of an exhibit in the National Museum of Colombia. The exhibit features artefacts from the tomb of the Lord of Sipan, the ruler of the Mochica culture, a civilization that lived on the northern coast of Peru between the first and sixth centuries. Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva discovered the tomb in 1987. He appeared Thursday (May 17) at the exhibit's opening in Colombia. "This discovery (of the tomb) essentially changed the meaning of what the ancient pre-Inca cultures were, especially on the north coast of Peru. For the first time, we the archaeologists could get close to the greatness, to the importance of a leader, of an ethnic figure, of one of the most important cultures, the culture Mochica or Moche, which was developed in Peru ." The exhibition, titled "Sipan, the Last Treasure of America," which opened Thursday (May 17), is considered by some to be one of the most important archaeological finds in recent decades. The display showcases remnants from the funeral of the Lord of Sipan, who governed over the Mochica people some 1,800 years ago. When they opened the tomb, archaeologists found the skeletons of guards holding shields, llamas and a dog. The remains of two young women were found next to the ruler, who was surrounded by gold and jewels. The display at the National Museum of Colombia features 132 relics made of gold, silver, turquoise, seashell and ceramics found during the excavations. The mummified remains of the monarch will not be in the exhibition, Alva said. "Thirty percent of the pieces that are part of this exhibit are original pieces. The only duplicate is the tomb's reproduction." The real tomb remains at the Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum in Peru, a building capable of ensuring the preservation of the remains. The Sipan exhibit travelled to Brazil, Germany, the United States and Japan before arriving in Colombia. The artefacts will be on display in Colombia until August 31, 2007.

ITN Source | May 20, 2007

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