A team of archaeologists working in the Peruvian Andes reported the discovery of a complex with swimming pools and
Excavation site. Photos: Peruvian Ministry of Culture
The discovery was made during excavationsnear Huanuco Pampa, one of the Inca settlements in central Peru. It is located on a mountain plateau at an altitude of more than 3 thousand meters above sea level and is connected with other ancient cities by a network of paved roads (Qhapaq Nan), the total length of which is more than 25,000 km.
Researchers discover "artfully carved"bath, the average depth of which is about 2 m with separate pools and spillways. In the center is a central passage that drains water into a drainage channel and divides the room into two small platforms or "benches" for visitors. This is the second bathhouse found in Huanuco Pampa, but it surpasses the previous one in size and complexity of organization.
Excavations of the bath complex of the Inca Empire
The overall structure of the building resembled "morehierarchical, bounded and sacred spaces in the administrative centers of the Incas,” the head of the study told Reuters. Archaeologists believe that this is due to the fact that the bath complex did not serve a utilitarian or hygienic function, but was primarily associated with religious rituals and ancestor worship.
The Inca Empire is an ancient state thatbegan to form in the XI-XIII centuries, and from 1438 to 1533 subjugated most of the western part of South America. In the 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors gradually conquered all the territories of the former empire, the last state of the Incas was conquered in 1572.
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