Wall and silver brooch unearthed at Machu Picchu ruins

June 7, 2002

LIMA, Peru - Archaeologists have found a 20-foot (six-meter) high stone wall, dozens of ceramic fragments and a well-preserved silver brooch at the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, an official said Friday.

Machu Picchu park director Fernando Astete said the finds came during routine conservation work at the stone-block citadel, which is perched spectacularly amid jungle-covered mountains in southern Peru.

The wall, up to 20 feet (6 meters) high and about 260 feet (80 meters) long, was built on a natural rock formation below the terraces. It marked off the western part of the city and led to one the citadel's entrances, he said. Drainage channels were also found among the terraces.

Astete said the archaeologists found what appeared to be a trash dump with dozens of ceramic fragments scattered along the steep slopes of the mountain on the other side of the wall.

"In the coming months we're going to go deeper into the valley to look for more," he said. "Since the downgrade is very pronounced, there should be much more material below."

The silver brooch was found directly at the foot of the wall, suggesting that it may have been an offering to Incan gods, Astete said.

The crescent-shaped terraces, which are found at several points around the city, were sometimes used for agriculture and also to prevent erosion of the mountainside, Astete said.

The Incas ruled Peru from the 1430s until the arrival of the Spaniards in 1532, constructing stone-block cities and roads and developing a highly organized and militarized society.

Machu Picchu is Peru's top tourist destination, attracting 300,000 foreign visitors a year.

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