Archaeologists in the Peruvian Andes have discovered an Inca bath complex built half a millennium ago, which they believe may have served the elite of a vast empire larger than once dominated large areas of South America.
found near”house of the inca“At the Huanuco Pampa archaeological zone in central Peru, local archaeologists believe the baths may have served a religious purpose for high-ranking members of the Inca Empire, which migrated from southern Ecuador to the center of Chile 500 years ago. It was spread till
Importance of proper bath
Luis Paredes Sánchez, project manager for Huanuco Pampa, said the structure was “more hierarchical, restricted and sacred space within the Inca administrative centers, because instead of performing a utilitarian or hygienic function, they also served for religious functions and ancestor worship.”
Peru’s Ministry of Culture states that the “finely carved” bath has a depth of some two meters, consists of independent pools and spillways and carries water into a drainage duct that divides the room into two smaller platforms, or Inca means “bench”. in a statement.
The Huanuco Pampa archaeological site is part of the Qhapaq Nan Project, a 25,000 km long road network that links Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The road system was declared a World Heritage Site in 2014.
Peru is home to hundreds of archaeological sites across the country, including the Machu Picchu citadel in the Inca capital of Cusco and the Nasca lines, which were largely designed in the coastal desert region of the Ica 1,500 years ago.