Peru’s Ministry of Culture announced the discovery of nearly intact elite tombs at Chan Chan containing gold ornaments and shell artifacts. Archaeologists found the remains of 38 high-ranking individuals inside a funerary platform that had stayed hidden for more than 600 years.
The discovery was made inside Utzh An, a walled compound once known as the Great Chimú Palace. It emerged during conservation and research work carried out under the ministry’s Special Project for the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex.
The funerary platform is made up of a central chamber flanked by two lateral chambers. The central chamber measures about 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) wide and 5 meters (16.4 feet) deep.
It is reached through an entrance followed by a staircase that descends roughly 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) to a burial space with a niche. That chamber held the remains of one individual buried with numerous shell and metal objects.
Side chambers reveal weapons and an unusual extended burial
The two lateral chambers each measure 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide, 8 meters (26.2 feet) long, and 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) deep. One held no human remains but contained weapons and metal emblems. The other held 20 buried individuals. Combined with 18 more found elsewhere in the platform, the total reached 38.
One burial stood apart from the rest. Instead of the flexed or seated flexed positions typical of Chimú funerary customs, the body was laid fully extended at the bottom of a chamber.
Researchers said the unusual placement raises new questions about the circumstances of the death. Among the possibilities they are considering are a sacrificial ritual or an extreme difference in rank compared with the others buried in the same space.
Gold ornaments, shell necklaces and sacred red pigment recovered
Material recovered from the platform indicates the dead belonged to high-status groups within Chimú society. Around and on top of the skeletons, researchers found ear ornaments, necklaces and metal headdresses.
They also recovered wooden boxes carved with metal fittings and numerous necklaces made of seashell and quartz. Several individuals showed red pigment on their heads, a marking also found on many of the ceramic pieces. Officials said the sacred red pigment was reserved for high-ranking burials in Andean societies.
Because the bones and organic materials had been weakened by centuries of coastal humidity, researchers followed a strict protocol. No evidence could be removed without detailed prior documentation.
A specialist photographed the site from multiple angles to build a high-precision three-dimensional model. Only after that digital mapping was complete did teams begin the careful manual removal of remains and artifacts.
Peru’s ministry calls gold-rich elite tombs a rare discovery
Culture Minister Alberto Beingolea Delgado said the findings show the value of public investment in archaeological sites. He pointed to the unusual burial and the new questions it raises about possible sacrificial rituals. He added that the Peruvian state remains committed to its agreements with UNESCO to continue researching and preserving the site.
Jorge Meneses, the archaeologist leading the ministry’s investment project at the site, said the discovery carries exceptional value for Peruvian archaeology. He noted that earlier knowledge of elite Chimú tombs came largely from platforms looted or destroyed since colonial times.
Those earlier sites left altered and incomplete contexts, with valuable pieces scattered across museum collections. The find gives Peru a rare chance to study elite tombs and gold offerings exactly as they were placed nearly 600 years ago, he said.
Henry Gayoso Rullier, head of the project’s research and conservation unit, said the team hopes to uncover further evidence about the function and history of the walled complex. He added that researchers also hope to clarify an unresolved period in Chan Chan’s past.
Specifically, they want to know more precisely when and how the Inca occupied the site following their conquest of the Moche Valley.
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