Mass Inca grave uncovered in Peru

Lima, July 5 :  Peruvian archaeologists are exploring a mass grave belonging to the ancient Inca civilisation in the coastal region of Lambayeque, a senior official has said.

The grave, found at the archaeological site of Tucume which is home to 26 pyramids, will help confirm the extension of the Inca Empire, Xinhua news agency reported. 

Some 24 mummified corpses were found in the grave, along with funerary offerings such as ceramics, grains and finely woven robes said Luis Villacorta, deputy minister of cultural heritage and cultural industries.

Archaeologist Jose Manuel Escudero said that one of the mummies could be a high-ranking personage, given the quality of the funerary offerings found alongside the body. 

The empire flourished along western South America between the 13th and 16th centuries in parts of what are now Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and other countries.