On the northern coast of Peru, archaeologists have peeled back layers of history to reveal something astonishing — a throne room, nearly 1,300 years old, that hints at a powerful woman’s reign. It’s a discovery that could rewrite what we know about the Moche people, a sophisticated yet mysterious civilization that flourished long before the rise of the much more famous Inca.

The room, found at the site of Pañamarca, is an archaeological gold mine. Every inch of its walls and pillars is painted with vibrant scenes — warriors, weavers and mythical beings. And, in the center, an adobe throne stands as the focal point. But the most striking element is the depiction of a woman, seated upon a throne just like the one found in the room. She is surrounded by visitors, possibly subjects or dignitaries, in a grand display of authority.

“It could indicate it was a woman who used the space, possibly a ruler,” said Jessica Ortiz Zevallos, one of the lead archaeologists on the project.

A Woman’s Throne

The Moche civilization, which thrived from about 350 to 850 C.E., left behind no written records. Instead, their legacy is painted on the walls of their temples and buried in their tombs. For years, scholars have studied Moche art and architecture, finding depictions of priests, warriors, and deities, but nothing quite like this — a throne room.

The walls of the room, known as the Hall of the Moche Imaginary, tell a story of power. In one mural, the enthroned woman speaks to a bird-man figure. In another, she presides over a procession of men, each carrying textiles or her crown — an intricate headpiece braided with her own hair. The artwork seems to have a deeply symbolic meaning, linking the woman to the sea, the crescent moon, and the arts.

For archaeologists like Lisa Trever, a professor of pre-Columbian art history at Columbia University, all of these features point to a single conclusion. It seems the Moche had a powerful female ruler — and this likely wasn’t some historical aberration.

“Female leaders were not rare in ancient Moche society or in the northern Peruvian dynasties that followed,” Trever says. “There is evidence in abundance of female authorities, most of it from funerary contexts, for centuries of this history.”

The throne itself, eroded and worn, bears signs of use — greenstone beads, fine threads, and even human hair were found on it.

A Society of Unseen Queens?

The Moche people are best known for their monumental architecture and elaborate art. Their temples, like the famous Huaca de la Luna near Trujillo, are adorned with murals depicting fierce warriors and supernatural creatures. But the discovery at Pañamarca offers a rare glimpse into a different side of Moche society — one where women may have held real political power.

“We notice that high-status burials of Moche men have more often than not been described as ‘lords,’ but women as ‘priestesses,’” Trever explained for The Art Newspaper. “The findings at Pañamarca help drive home the point that powerful women in ancient Moche art and life were not only ‘priestesses,’ but that they held real social and political authority.”

This throne room is part of a larger complex at Pañamarca, a site rediscovered by archaeologists in the 1950s. Perched on a granite hill, the site consists of adobe platforms, walled plazas, and other structures that have yet to be fully explored. The hall where the throne was found is one of two pillared rooms excavated this year. The other, known as the Hall of the Braided Serpents, looks out over the site’s main square, its pillars painted with snakes intertwined with human legs — a motif never before seen in Moche art.

Unlike the throne room, this second hall was likely meant for spectacle. “This hall was a place from which to see larger gatherings, and also to be seen,” said Trever. The artwork on the pillars, which features warriors and monsters, would have been visible from a distance, making it a prime spot for public ceremonies or performances.

More To Explore

For Trever and her team, the work at Pañamarca is far from over. Each season, the site yields new surprises — new murals, new artifacts, new questions about who these people were and how they lived. And with each discovery, we come closer to understanding a culture that, in many ways, was far ahead of its time.

“We often say that Pañamarca was a place of unprecedented creativity,” said Trever. “Every season, it seems like that point becomes even more true.”

The Moche civilization may have disappeared more than a thousand years ago, but their stories — painted in vivid detail on the walls of Pañamarca — are still unfolding, one brushstroke at a time.

This article originally appeared in October 2024 and was updated with new information.