Archaeologists unearth 4000-year-old temple and theater in Peru [Video]

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of what appears to be a 4000-year-old temple and theater in coastal Peru.

The discovery was made at the archaeological site La Otra Banda, Cerro Las Animas, located near the city of Chiclayo off the northern Coast of Peru, according to a news release from the Field Museum.  

Researchers started digging at the site last month after the local government alerted them to looting happening near the traditional town of Zaña. Scientists needed to “study the area before it was destroyed,” the local government said. 

The excavation – led by scientist Luis Muro Ynoñán – revealed walls of mud and clay just six feet beneath the surface and evidence suggesting that the structure was once home to an ancient temple.  “It was so surprising that these very ancient structures were so close to the modern surface,” said Muro Ynoñan in the statement.