Archaeological Sites
The Lord of Sipán
~250 AD · found 1987 · Huaca Rajada, near Chiclayo, Peru
Excavated (museum)The prize. The 'King Tut of the Americas', an intact Moche royal tomb
Where. Huaca Rajada, near Chiclayo, Peru
Status. Excavated (museum)
Where. Huaca Rajada, near Chiclayo, Peru
Status. Excavated (museum)
The account
Grave robbers tipped archaeologists to a mud-brick platform in 1987, and Walter Alva reached the chamber before the looters cleaned it out, the first unplundered Moche royal tomb ever found. Inside lay a warrior-priest under 451 objects of gold, silver, copper, and turquoise, his face under a golden mask. The richest tomb in the ancient Americas, found intact by a hair.
Leads, where the trail points now
- Racing looters in 1987, archaeologist Walter Alva opened the unrobbed tomb of a Moche lord at Huaca Rajada, full of gold, turquoise, and his sacrificed court.
- The site at Sipan is protected and has a museum; the surrounding Moche platforms may still hold unlooted tombs.
- The live concerns are the looting threat and the many unexcavated huacas of the Lambayeque valley.
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