While excavating a mound in Peru’s La Libertad region, Ana Cecilia Mauricio, an archaeologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, uncovered a strikingly well-preserved mural dating back several thousand years.
What her team uncovered at Huaca Yolanda, a little-known site from the Tanguche Valley near Peru’s northern coast, was a 6-meter-long, 2.9-meter-tall polychrome mural unlike anything ever seen in the region.
Painted in red, yellow, blue, and black, and sculpted in three-dimensional relief, the mural stretches across the inner walls of a ceremonial courtyard. The stunningly preserved artwork has been dated between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago.
Shamans, Stars, and a World Between
At the mural’s center is a large bird of prey—possibly an eagle or falcon—with its wings outstretched and a head crowned by diamond-shaped motifs. Its form, captured mid-transformation, seems to float above sculpted mythological creatures, stars, marine plants, and fish.
One section depicts a fish whose body forms an intricate three-dimensional net. Nearby, fishing nets and humanoid figures blend with marine motifs. On the northern face, three human-like figures appear to be transforming into birds. That’s perhaps a visual account of shamans entering a trance state.
Mauricio believes the scene could depict a ritual experience triggered by hallucinogenic plants like the San Pedro cactus, still used in Andean spiritual ceremonies today.
“These were people who lived from agriculture and from the sea, but they already show the first signs of social hierarchy,” Mauricio explained to The Guardian. She then elaborated that the most influential figures were shamans or priest-priestess. They were leaders who combined practical knowledge of medicinal plants and astronomy with spiritual authority.
It’s not just the imagery that makes the mural unique. The wall’s construction, made of clay mixed with organic materials molded into complex relief, demonstrates a level of artistic sophistication rarely associated with cultures this ancient. And the preservation of its pigments is virtually unprecedented.
“The imagery, decorative techniques, and exceptional state of preservation make this a truly unprecedented discovery in the region,” Mauricio told Live Science.
A Civilization Older Than the Inca
The Huaca Yolanda mural hails from what archaeologists call the Formative Period (2000–1000 BCE). This was a time when the first large-scale ceremonial centers were rising along the Pacific coast, long before the Inca or the Moche.
It likely predates Chavín de Huántar, a highland temple complex considered to be one of the oldest Andean ceremonial sites. Chavín murals are dominated by jungle predators like jaguars and reptiles. In contrast, Huaca Yolanda shows a coastal worldview shaped by the sea’s resources and the stars.
“Based on the design and decoration style of this mural, it is between 3,000 and 4,000 years old,” Mauricio said. That would make it one of the earliest examples of monumental temple art in the Americas.
And while Chavín has long been celebrated for its ceremonial use of hallucinogens and knowledge of the stars, Huaca Yolanda suggests those same traditions may have originated—or at least co-evolved—on the coast.
“They possessed important knowledge about medicinal plants and also about astronomy,” Mauricio told The Guardian. “They could predict the weather conditions through observation of the stars and the sun.”
A Race Against Time
Huaca Yolanda remains unprotected by Peru’s Ministry of Culture. Looters left a hole in the sand that inadvertently led researchers to the buried structure. Now, the surrounding area faces threats from tractors, urban development, and the ever-present risk of climate disruption.
“Heavy machinery, such as tractors used for farming, is seriously damaging the Huaca Yolanda,” Mauricio warned as per Artnet. “We need the Ministry of Culture, as well as regional and municipal authorities, to act urgently to protect this heritage.”
If the site doesn’t receive formal safeguards soon, we could lose it before fully understanding it.
