先スペイン期「ワリ文化」の遺跡発見　日・ペルーの考古学者チーム

【リマＡＦＰ＝時事】日本・ペルー両国の考古学者チームがこのほど、ペルー北部で先スペイン期の遺跡を発見した。遺跡は祖先をまつるための祭祀（さいし）場で、埋葬室や人骨、陶器などが見つかった。（写真はペルー北部ヘケテペケ渓谷のワリ文化遺跡。文化省提供）
　チームに参加した南山大学の渡部森哉教授はＡＦＰに、首都リマの北約９００キロの地点にあるカハマルカ県のヘケテペケ渓谷で、「西暦８００～１０００年ごろに栄えたワリ文化の遺跡を発見した」と語った。
　埋葬室が２か所あり、それぞれ２段構造になっていた。埋葬室の壁には五つずつ穴がうがたれ、中には貝殻や陶器の破片、三脚皿が置かれていた。
　渡部教授は「さまざまな起源を持つ多くの人々がこの地に住んでいた。ここは祖先をまつる祭祀場だった」と説明した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/09/04-15:06）

A team of Peruvian and Japanese archaeologists has unearthed a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in northern Peru dedicated to ancestor worship, with burial chambers, human remains and ceramic offerings.
We have discovered an archaeological site of the Wari period with an antiquity of between 800 to 1000 years AD in the Cajamarca region 900 kilometers (560 miles) north of Lima, Japanese archaeologist Shinya Watanabe told AFP on Saturday.
Two burial chambers with pits for placing mummies and offerings to the ancestors were found at the site, the expert said.
Each of the burial chambers contains two levels, and both have five niches in the walls that contain offerings such as mollusk shells, ceramic fragments and a tripod dish with three conical supports.
It is a great find because the archaeologists were looking for evidence of the Wari culture, said Watanabe, who is a professor at Nanzan University in Japan.
A bundle containing a female character, a black Wari ceremonial vessel, two musical ceramic wind instruments, and two copper fasteners were also found.
The discovery occurred in the Jequetepeque valley in the province of San Miguel in Cajamarca, a region that abuts Ecuador.
Many people of multiple origins lived here. It was a ceremonial center dedicated to the cult of the ancestors, Watanabe said.
Judith Padilla, head of Cajamarca's culture office, said the findings allow for an understanding of the lifestyle and ritual practices of the ancient societies that inhabited the region.
The Wari culture survived between the 7th and 13th centuries over territory that is present-day Peru, but by 1100 AD the Wari were conquered by the rising Inca empire.
The discovery was made by the Project of Archaeological Investigation (PIA) Terlen-La Bomba and it occupies about 24 hectares (60 acres).
The Ministry of Culture indicated that the main objective of the research is to understand the socio-political system of the Cajamarca culture during the Middle Horizon (900 to 1000 years AD) and its relationship with the Wari culture.