Scientists Find Ancient Tomb Of Inca Nobles In Peru's Capital, Wrapped In Cloth Amidst Fine Ceramics And Ornaments

JAKARTA - Good news comes from Lima, where scientists have found an ancient tomb dating from the Inca era, located in a residential area of working class residents.

Archaeologists say the tomb was dug under a working class house. Researchers believe the site holds the bodies of royalty wrapped in cloth alongside fine ceramics and ornaments.

Chief archaeologist Julio Abanto told Reuters the tomb, thought to be 500 years old, contained "several burial bundles" tightly wrapped in cloth.

He further explained that what was buried was probably the elite of the Riricancho people, a culture that had inhabited present-day Lima before the powerful Incas arrived, to rule a vast empire across western South America in the 1400s.

Best known for their gold and sophisticated construction, including the royal resting place atop Machu Picchu, the Incas were conquered by Spanish conquistadors in 1532.

Meanwhile, Hipolito Tica, the owner of the house where the grave site was found said in an interview he was overcome with emotion over the shocking discovery.

"It's amazing. I really have no other words to describe it," he said, expressing hope that future generations in San Juan de Lurigancho's working-class neighborhood will appreciate the rich history around them more.

The excavations began last month after Tica's reconstruction plans for the property sparked a necessary archaeological survey in the District of Lima, which is known for hundreds of past archaeological finds from cultures that flourished before and after the Incas.