Peru’s Ministry of Culture announced the discovery of a fragmented sculptural vessel depicting warriors in combat near the entrance to the observatory at the Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex in the Casma Valley, Ancash, according to HeritageDaily.
The vessel was found in a ceremonial center tied to the Fortified Temple - a political, military, and ritual hub for local elites. Experts said it was intentionally broken as a ritual offering linked to solar worship. The Ministry of Culture said the discovery reinforced the interpretation of Chankillo as not only the oldest solar observatory in the Americas but also a stage for military conflict and elite power legitimation, RPP Noticias reported.
The vessel bore ceramic figurines of Casma/Sechin warriors in the Pataza style and likely related to the Fortified Temple, underscoring its ceremonial value within solar-centered practices. “This discovery confirms that ritual objects not only had a ceremonial importance but also conveyed messages of identity and authority,” said the Peruvian State. The Ministry added that the find aligned with evidence that solar ceremonies at the Thirteen Towers supported the rise of a warrior elite that consolidated power through ritual, control of the solar calendar, and military force.
Chankillo, constructed by the Casma/Sechin culture, was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2021 and is located in the Casma Valley on Peru’s north-central coast. Its principal feature is a line of 13 cuboidal towers along a ridge, the only complete solar horizon calendar of the ancient world and the oldest solar observatory in the Americas. The complex also includes Cerro Mucho Malo and the Fortified Temple, a triple-walled hilltop structure about 300 meters long.
The site is dated to around 250–200 BCE, and investigative excavations continue to study the civilization that lived in Áncash more than 2,300 years ago. The Casma/Sechin culture emerged between 1800 BCE and 200 CE and preceded societies such as the Moche and Chavín.
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