Archaeologists have found two murals, featuring two-faced men holding odd treasures at the 1,400-year-old archaeological site of Pañamarca in coastal Peru. The murals, which were drawn at a time when a civilization known as the Moche flourished in coastal areas of Peru. Dating from between A.D. 550 and 800, the discoveries were unearthed by archaeologists in August 2022. Both men depicted are wearing what looks like a headdress or crown. Both have colorful clothing on with elaborate patterns, and what appear to be sizable belts.
In one mural, which sits near the top of the pillar, a man with two faces (one looking left and one looking right) holds a feather fan in one hand and a goblet with four hummingbirds drinking from it in the other. The second two-faced man, painted lower on the pillar, has a moving feather fan in one hand and a stick-like object that is only partly preserved in the other. Researchers say the artists may have been experimenting with how to depict movement.
Mystifying Symbolism Points Towards the Cosmos
It is uncertain if the two-faced men are deities, as Moche deity images typically have non-human aspects. One possible explanation for why the men have two faces is it may “signify a mortal wearing a mask and thus impersonating or becoming one with [the] supernatural,” at least according to Edward Swenson, director of the Archaeology Centre at the University of Toronto.
The detail of the hummingbirds drinking from the goblet in one of the murals is significant, as it may symbolize a connection between mortals and gods. “Sacrifice served as a critical mechanism to ensure the circulation of life-giving fluids between beings and cosmic realms,” Swenson said.
Lisa Trever, an associate professor of pre-Columbian art history and archaeology at Columbia University, said the recent discoveries are important and “truly spectacular.” She noted there is “nothing quite like this in South American archaeology,” and that the artists may have been experimenting with how to show movement and two narrative moments at once.
The Hunt for More Continues
Pañamarca is an architectural complex located in Peru’s lower Nepeña Valley, and the hall with the two-faced men contains numerous other murals, including examples depicting a priestess, a serpent, and a bat. It is unlikely that many people had access to this hall, as it must have been a very special place to enter, maybe only open to the leaders or elders of the community at Pañamarca.
The purpose of the hall where the murals are located is still unknown. Archaeologists have been studying it for over 60 years, after uncovering the first mural in 1958. Despite the decades of study, much of the hall is still unexcavated, and more murals are likely waiting to be found.
The team will continue fieldwork at the site this year.
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