Unearthing the Sacred: Excavations at the Puemape Temple Complex, Northern Peru
IASCE Director Charles Stanish shares fascinating new findings in his Forum contribution titled 鈥淯nearthing the Sacred: Excavations at the Puemape Temple Complex, Northern Peru鈥� (dated August鈥�21,鈥�2025). The 3,000鈥憏ear鈥憃ld temple, buried beneath hundreds of tons of sand in Peru鈥檚 Chicama Valley, was revealed by his team after extensive clearing. They uncovered a nearly intact square temple鈥�19鈥痬 on each side鈥攚ith walls built from local limestone and aligned to solstice and equinox solar markers. Inside, an elegant stone stairway leads to the central platform, suggesting ritual use. Intrusive burials and evidence of feasting nearby indicate the site remained a meaningful sacred gathering space long after its original construction. These discoveries promise to enrich our understanding of early complex societies and ceremonial architecture in northern Peru.