Featured: Lost Secrets - an adventure during Neolithic times

Lost Secrets - an adventure during Neolithic times

Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic, Edmonds, Bender

Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic, Edmonds, Bender

Who's Online

There are currently, 477 guests and 0 members online.

You are a guest. To join in, please register for free by clicking here

Sponsors

<< Text Pages >> Ventarron - Temple of the Captured Deer - Ancient Temple in Peru

Submitted by bat400 on Thursday, 09 December 2010  Page Views: 12206

Multi-periodSite Name: Ventarron - Temple of the Captured Deer
Country: Peru Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Chiclayo, Peru
Latitude: 6.805668S  Longitude: 79.759609W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
2 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4

Internal Links:
External Links:

Ancient Temple in Lambayeque Department, Peru.
Cerro Ventarron is a natural hill containing multiple adobe ceremonial sites that were built and used over several millennium. Artwork found in one 4000 year old adobe "pyramid" is believed to be the oldest example of a painted mural in the New World.

Despite the simplicity of the building techniques, dried mud without stone, gravel, or straw filler, the building was decorated with red and white exterior paint and internal rooms contain polychrome murals adjacent to a fire-blackened altar/chimney.
The culture that created it predates the famous Sipan culture of the same area by over a thousand years.
A detailed account may be found in this article by Angela Schuster.
The location provided is based of the coordinates attached to a photo of the stylized mural. The photo is the work of one of the principal archaeologists, Ignacio Alva Meneses. See also this photo, that I believe is of the red and white painted exterior of the temple.

Note: Ancient Lambayeque civilizations domesticated cats 3500 years ago?
You may be viewing yesterday's version of this page. To see the most up to date information please register for a free account.


Do not use the above information on other web sites or publications without permission of the contributor.

Nearby Images from Flickr
Laguna Boro
Vista al cerro Reque desde Ventarrón
En Ventarrón
Ventarrón
Cerro Ventarrón
Ciruelas criollas, de la planta a la boca

The above images may not be of the site on this page, but were taken nearby. They are loaded from Flickr so please click on them for image credits.


Click here to see more info for this site

Nearby sites

Click here to view sites on an interactive map of the area

Key: Red: member's photo, Blue: 3rd party photo, Yellow: other image, Green: no photo - please go there and take one, Grey: site destroyed

Download sites to:
KML (Google Earth)
GPX (GPS waypoints)
CSV (Garmin/Navman)
CSV (Excel)

To unlock full downloads you need to sign up as a Contributory Member. Otherwise downloads are limited to 50 sites.


Turn off the page maps and other distractions

Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 2.8km NNW 329° Collud Ancient Temple
 15.4km NE 54° Cerro Pátapo Ancient Village or Settlement
 17.4km E 88° Huaca Rajada Pyramid / Mastaba
 19.0km NW 306° Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán* Museum
 23.4km WNW 294° Chotuna-Chornancap* Ancient Temple
 25.0km SE 146° Huaca el Pueblo Pyramid / Mastaba
 33.6km NNW 344° Tucume* Ancient Village or Settlement
 35.4km NNW 335° La Pava de Mochumí Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 37.4km N 354° Pomac Forest Ancient Village or Settlement
 47.0km NNW 341° Huaca Bandera Ancient Temple
 55.5km NNE 15° Cerro Cerrillos Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature
 59.6km ESE 107° Nanchoc Ancient Village or Settlement
 68.8km NNE 19° El Gallo Tombs Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 97.5km ENE 57° Pacopampa Ancient Temple
 107.0km ESE 110° Kuntur Wasi* Ancient Temple
 125.3km SSE 150° Mocollope Ancient Village or Settlement
 133.1km SSE 158° El Brujo* Ancient Village or Settlement
 137.2km ESE 108° Cumbemayo Rock Art
 148.0km ESE 104° Ventanillas de Otuzco Rock Cut Tomb
 149.6km SSE 151° Cerro Campana* Sculptured Stone
 161.3km SSE 153° Huanchaquito-Las Llamas Misc. Earthwork
 161.5km NE 41° Jaén Temples* Ancient Temple
 162.9km NE 41° San Isidro Ancient Temple
 163.3km SSE 153° Chan Chan* Ancient Village or Settlement
 164.5km SSE 151° Huaca Esmeralda* Pyramid / Mastaba
View more nearby sites and additional images

<< Incapirca Waminan

Gruxi Oliri Nuraghe >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Before the Pyramids, Cracking Archaeology's Greatest Mystery by Knight & Butler

Before the Pyramids, Cracking Archaeology's Greatest Mystery by Knight &  Butler

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"Ventarron - Temple of the Captured Deer" | Login/Create an Account | 5 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Ancient Lambayeque civilizations domesticated cats 3500 years ago? by davidmorgan on Sunday, 28 November 2010
(User Info | Send a Message)
Recent finds at the Ventarrón archaeological site have revealed some of the oldest examples of ancient Peruvian domestication of animals.

The Ventarrón site, belonging to one of the oldest civilizations in the Americas, has already given up a number of amazing discoveries. This latest gives us a look at early animal domestication.

Work at the site, under the leadership of Ignacio Alva, son of famous Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, has revealed a huge collection of animal bones, mostly felines from the Peruvian Amazon on the other side of the Andes mountains.

With such a large number of bones, the archaeologists enlisted the help of zoologists Victor Vásquez and Teresa Rosales from the Centro de Investigaciones Arqueobiológicas y Paleoecológicas Andinas Arqueobios de Trujillo (Center of Andean Archaeobiological and Paleoecological Investigation of Trujillo).

The combined group of investigators have concluded that the ancient Lambayeque people were breeding felines at the site. The theory as to why is not at all different from the reason other ancient civilizations, such as in ancient Egypt, kept cats – as a means to control vermin in what was a time of a rapidly expanding and delicate new invention… agriculture.

The zoologists are currently studying four examples of puma-like feline skeletons with the aim of discovering whether these show any signs of difference from the skeletons of wild cats that exist today. This will tell us whether any selective breeding occurred and to what extent.

http://enperublog.com/2010/11/24/ancient-lambayeque-civilizations-domesticated-cats-3500-years-ago/

Submitted by coldrum.
[ Reply to This ]

Ancient temple wall discovered, shaped like Andean chakana by coldrum on Thursday, 18 June 2009
(User Info | Send a Message)
Ancient temple wall discovered, shaped like Andean chakana

Ventarrón, a 4000 year old ceremonial site with spectacular murals painted by ancient peoples who lived during the dawn of civilisation, has given up another stunning prize.

It had already made news when the site, once used by locals as a garbage dump, was found to be home to a temple complex with the oldest murals yet found in Peru.

Now, thanks to the work of archaeologist Ignacio Alva Meneses, son of the famed Walter Alva who discovered of the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, the 4000 year old temple has revealed another stunning secret.

To the side of the temple, one of a series of rooms has been discovered that is shaped like the ancient Andean symbol called the Chacana - also known as the Andean Cross, or in Spanish, the Cruz Andina. As one of the oldest examples of this important cultural symbol discovered, it may eventually help provide more insight into its origin.

Considered by many to be an “Inca symbolâ€, it is as inherited by them as the Quechua language and the valley of Cusco are. The chakana is far more ancient.

This room in the temple, for example, is 4000 years old.

Chakanas were also found in the Chavín world, 3000 years ago. In the famous huge rock obelisk studied by archaeologist Julio C. Tello, a chakana is clearly seen top and centre.

Chakanas were also found in the Moche culture 1000 years ago and incorporated into their art.

But the oldest examples of Chakanas have been found in Caral, and have been dated to almost 5000 years ago.

Discovery

It was Ignacio Alva’s keen eye that two months ago noticed the potential importance of the small collection of rooms to the side of the main pyramidal temple mound.

As shown in this older reconstruction, Alva and his team on site had always known there was a structure on the top right corner, but had no idea it was shaped as it is.

While excavating this part of temple complex that measures about 10 metres squared, Ignacio Alva explained he had a feeling something important would be found here. On removing the garbage that had been dumped on the site by locals, he commented that it was like he had a sixth sense that told him so.

Alva explains that is is the first time that a Chakana has been found to have been incorporated into ancient architecture.

“We even think this was the first centre of civilisation in the Americas, because, in contrast with Caral, where there is no artistic expression so rich as here, Ventarrón has a great variety of symbols and iconographyâ€, Ignacio Alva explained.

Previously, the team had made news with their find of very well preserved two metre high colourful murals that once adorned the temple. Thanks to this latest discovery the team is making news again, with archaeologists now commenting on the huge significance of the ceremonial site, and that its scientific value may be more than even that of Caral.

Hoping to continue making headlines, the team is now further studying the ceremonial centre on the top of the pyramidal structure. Just as with Caral, it seems as though these ancient people maintained a cult devoted to fire. On top of the temple structure a flame was kept burning, probably continually, and had some kind of religious significance.

http://enperublog.com/2009/06/08/ancient-temple-wall-discovered-shaped-like-andean-chakana/
[ Reply to This ]

2,500-year-old tomb of 3 year-old-boy found in Peru by bat400 on Sunday, 22 March 2009
(User Info | Send a Message)
Submitted by coldrum and bat 400-

After making an important discovery, archaeologist Ignacio Alva Meneses has affirmed he will stay and live in Lambayeque, one of Peru's northern regions. Alva did not make this decision because of a 4,000-year-old temple he found in 2008 but because of a child's tomb he found last month.

It is believed the child was buried approximately 2,500 years ago.

The tomb was found just 500 meters from Venado Cautivo (Trapped Deer) temple.


According to El Comercio daily, the tomb found is that of a 3-year-old boy, who belonged to the Gallinazo culture.

It was reported that the boy's bones are in a "normal conserved state".
For more, see
Living in Peru.

Another story on the same find may be found here at bbc Mundo, a Spanish language site, but ignore the photo, which is associated with a totally different find. The remains of two other children were found at the same location. The grave goods included pottery with a bas relief of an owl - associated with the journey of the living to the world of the dead.

Ignacio Alva Meneses, one of the principle archaeologists, emphasizes the continuity of culture show by the repeated use of the Venterron Pyramid, from the earliest fire temple associated with the 4000 year old captured deer mural, to these tombs 2000 years later, and on to later pre-Inca cultures. A Reuters video appears to show the finds. Some news stories are referring to the remains as a "mummy", but they appear skeletal.
[ Reply to This ]

4000 year old Peruvian Temple predates Sipan culture by bat400 on Tuesday, 12 February 2008
(User Info | Send a Message)
Another article on the finds, submitted by coldrum ---
A 4,000-year-old temple filled with murals has been unearthed on the northern coast of Peru, making it one of the oldest finds in the Americas, a leading archaeologist said.

The temple, inside a larger ruin, includes a staircase that leads up to an altar used for fire worship at a site scientists have called Ventarron, said Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, who led the dig.

It sits in the Lambayeque valley, near the ancient Sipan complex that Alva unearthed in the 1980s. Ventarron was built long before Sipan, about 2,000 years before Christ, he said.

"It's a temple that is about 4,000 years old," Alva, director of the Museum Tumbas Reales (Royal Tombs) of Sipan, told Reuters by telephone after announcing the results of carbon dating at a ceremony north of Lima sponsored by Peru's government.

"What's surprising are the construction methods, the architectural design and most of all the existence of murals that could be the oldest in the Americas," he said.

Discoveries at Sipan, an administrative and religious center of the Moche culture, have included a gold-filled tomb built 1,700 years ago for a pre-Incan king.

"The discovery of this temple reveals evidence suggesting the region of Lambayeque was one of great cultural exchange between the Pacific coast and the rest of Peru," said Alva.



By Marco Aquino, Reuters.
[ Reply to This ]

Discovery and Excavation of Ventarron Temple by bat400 on Friday, 07 December 2007
(User Info | Send a Message)
See the new story submission here.
[ Reply to This ]

Your Name: Anonymous [ Register Now ]
Subject:


Add your comment or contribution to this page. Spam or offensive posts are deleted immediately, don't even bother

<<< What is five plus one as a number? (Please type the answer to this question in the little box on the left)
You can also embed videos and other things. For Youtube please copy and paste the 'embed code'.
For Google Street View please include Street View in the text.
Create a web link like this: <a href="https://www.megalithic.co.uk">This is a link</a>  

Allowed HTML is:
<p> <b> <i> <a> <img> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <tt> <li> <ol> <ul> <object> <param> <embed> <iframe>

We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.