A Possible Pre-Incan Pyramid Was Just Discovered in Central Peru

An ushnu, or pyramid-shaped, terraced structure believed to have been used for ceremonies and astrological observations, was just discovered about 285 kilometers north of Lima, Peru in the Callejon de Huaylas valley.

The discovery, researchers say, has changed the entire significance of the area in regard to Incan history.

Via Reuters:

An archaeologist working at the site, Miguel Aguilar, cautioned that more research was needed to confirm their hypothesis that the site was of significance to Inca civilization.

“Right now we’re at the top of the ushnu-style pyramid which we’ve just registered and which we are identifying as such. You always have to complete deeper excavations to be able to prove the information or for the hypothesis to be 100 percent correct. We’re at the part where they would have held the ceremonies of either the Inca or local Curaca (leader), which could have been for a normal Inca family or an elite or noble family, from this part of the Callejon de Huaylas valley corresponding to the Huaylas culture,” Aguilar said.

“According to what we’ve seen, which is the first level that’s been worked on, it is pretty much at what would have been the centre of the place. The ushnu is always at the centre because it plays a significant role as far as ideological dominance as well as a role in astronomic observations,” he added.

This ushnu is also now thought to be the center of what was once a provincial Inca capital there… but it is still unknown whether or not the pyramid itself was built before or after the Incas got there.

Curiously, archeologists also uncovered a set of stone towers in the vicinity that are thought to date back possibly 1,000 years before the Incas even showed up in that area.

The year 2016 was an interesting one for new pyramid discoveries. It was reported in November that a second “nesting doll” pyramid was just discovered hidden within the Kukulkan pyramid in the Mayan Chichen Itza ruins in Mexico. Several pyramid structures were reportedly found buried in the ice of Antarctica, and back in August it was announced that archaeologists discovered what was thought to be the world’s oldest pyramid in Kazakhstan.

Considering the age-old and obviously grand significance of pyramids, with thousands of similar design now found all over the world, one cannot help but feel like we’ve in no way been told the full story of what’s really going on here.