Ventarron facts for kids
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Ventarrón is an ancient site in Peru. It has a temple that is about 4,500 years old. This temple has amazing painted murals. Archaeologists found the site in 2007. It is near the city of Chiclayo in the Lambayeque area. This region is on Peru's northern coast.
Many ancient groups lived at Ventarrón over time. These include the Early Cupisnique, Cupisnique, Chavin, and Moche people.
Sadly, a fire damaged much of the site in November 2017. Farmers burning sugar cane fields nearby caused the fire.
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Where is Ventarrón Located?
The Ventarrón complex is in a valley. It covers about 2,500 square meters (27,000 square feet). The site is about 12 miles from Sipán. Sipán was a major center for the later Moche people. The Moche culture thrived from about 1 AD to 700 AD.
Ventarrón is about 760 kilometers (472 miles) north of Lima. Lima is the capital city of Peru. The central part of Ventarrón also includes another old site. This site is called Arenal and is on a nearby hill.
Ancient Murals and Temple
The temple and its murals are very old. Scientists used radiocarbon dating to find their age. They are from about 2000 BC. This means they are about 4,000 years old. These murals might be the oldest ever found in the Americas.
One mural shows a deer caught in a net. Another mural has a cool design in red and white colors. The temple was built using bricks made from river mud. Later buildings in the area often used stone or adobe. This mud brick style makes the Ventarrón temple special. It also has a staircase that leads to a fire altar.
Walter Alva is a Peruvian archaeologist. He led the team that found Ventarrón. He was very surprised by the discovery. He said the building methods and design were amazing. He also noted that the murals could be the oldest in the Americas. Alva believes this discovery shows that the Lambayeque region was a place where different cultures met and shared ideas.
Discoveries and Excavations
The archaeologists found items that were likely used in ceremonies. They found the skeletons of a parrot and a monkey. These animals would have come from Peru's jungle areas. They also found shells that came from the coast of Ecuador. These finds show that the people of Ventarrón traded with groups from far away.
Walter Alva and his team worked for three months on the dig. They believe the culture that built the temple buried it on purpose. This helped protect it for thousands of years. Sadly, some parts of the site were looted in the 1990s. Local people also took blocks from the site to build their own homes. Luckily, the thieves did not find the main temple.
In the 1980s, Alva also found the tomb of the Lord of Sipán. This was a very important discovery. The Lord of Sipán was a powerful leader of the Moche culture. The Moche people lived in the same Lambayeque area much later. Their royal tombs were from about 300 AD.
Since 2007, Ignacio Alva has been leading the excavations. He has found many layers of human activity at the temple. He also discovered an ancient frieze. A frieze is a long band of sculpture or painting. This one still has its original colors. It shows designs typical of the Cupisnique culture.
Other Temples Nearby
In recent years, three temples have been found in this area. They are all close together.
In 2008, a Cupisnique adobe temple was found nearby. This site is now called "Collud". This temple helps us understand the link between the Cupisnique and Chavin cultures. They shared some of the same art and symbols.
The Chavin people lived after the Cupisnique. They built a temple next to Collud about 300 years later. This site is named "Zarpan".
All three temples – Ventarrón, Collud, and Zarpan – form one large archaeological area. They share many similar features. During an early time period, the Collud-Zarpán site was likely the main religious center of the valley. It covered more than 2 square kilometers with ceremonial buildings.
See also
In Spanish: Ventarrón para niños
