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The Moche Capital of Sipán, Peru

Elite Burials and Ancient Rituals at the Moche Capital

From K. Kris Hirst, About.com

Sipán is one of the Moche capital cities, where in 1987 Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva discovered 13 elite burials mirroring rituals seen on ceramics and low relief sculptures. New excavations were begun in May 2007 by an international team led by Walter Alva and Luis Chero; they will last throughout 2007. The new excavations are intended to identify additional burials, discover a way to conserve the badly deteriorated pyramids, and prepare a system to allow the safe addition of tourism to the site via a new museum.

Assistance was provided by Antonio Aimi, project leader at the University of Milan, as well as from recent publications about the Moche cited on the following pages. Mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.

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