Gas pipe workers uncover remains of eight people buried inside 800-year-old tomb

The site, about 37 miles south of the capital, Lima, was being laid with new pipes when the workers found the remains of both adults and children that were covered in plant material before being buried. The bodies were buried with dishes, and a range of wind instruments, such as flutes, placed around them. The Columbian-based natural gas company Calidda has been laying gas pipes around Lima for the past 20 years.

Cecilia Camargo, an archaeologist hired by the Calidda said the discovery gives experts new information about pre-Hispanic Chilca.

Archaeologists had previously discovered the history of Chilca dates back to7000 BCE, with houses discovered going back as far as 5800 BCE.

Now, the new discovery of the remains suggests the people were alive around 1220 CE, the period of the rise of the Inca Empire.

But they are thought to belong to the Chilca culture, which was isolated from other pre-Hispanic cultures in the area.

The Incan Empire ruled until the 16th century, when the Spanish invaded marking the start of the Hispanic era.

Some of the discovered found in the shared tomb were buried with shells on their heads, and had bags in which coca leaves, traditionally chewed as a stimulant.

And this is not the first time ancient bodies have been unearthed by workers.

Workers for Calidda have been unearthing a treasure trove of history.

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Calidda claims to have installed about 6,000 miles of natural gas lines across Lima over the past 16 years.

Over this time it has reported about 300 archaeological finds, and have spent $2million (£1.46million) on the archaeological effort, boasting archaeological finds that are up to 2,000 years old.

The law in Peru states that archaeological discoveries must be reported and turned over to the Culture Ministry.

The city of Lima sits in a valley that is irrigated by three rivers running from the Andes.

It housed human civilisations for thousands of years before the Spanish invaded in 1535.

source: express.co.uk