Hiplito Tica saved for decades to build himself a house in a working class neighborhood. He had a problem with what to do about the neighbors.
The mechanic tried to dig a latrine on the lot in 1996 and he knew they were there.
Tica told The Associated Press that he was working to loosen the earth with a metal rod when it collapsed.
He said that he got out of there quickly.
Tica went to look for the hole that had opened at his feet after finding a flashlight.
The light was bright enough for him to see some bundles.
He didn't know what to do.
He had just moved in and was building an adobe structure on the empty lot without a title. He could lose his home if he draws the attention of authorities to his find.
He broached the news of the discovery to some archaeologists who were excavating ceramics from nearby streets where the city was building water lines. They didn't pay much attention, according to him. The issue was not pressed by him.
He decided to live with the neighbors. He covered the hole with several items, including an old door, a carpet and dirt.
He stated that nobody noticed the hole.
The Secretary of Culture and a local museum were required to approve the water and sewage service that TICO and his neighbors applied for.
Tica, who had little formal education, began to learn about the civilization of the Inca's.
To build a house correctly, you need to fill in the hole where the bodies were buried.
He said he was concerned. He was told by his friends to cover it and fill it with cement.
I was worried that people would not know anything about this area in the future. He said that part of history is here.
He looked up an archaeologist who was doing research in the area and told him that he had a burial and he wanted to see it.
Abanto and his team were given the go-ahead to dig.
It's not clear how many of the three bundles contained more than one individual, but they were found in the hole by the archaeologist.
One of the skeletons has a crown, bits of copper and a silver bracelet, as well as a spoon-like implement used for coca leaf with an image of a bird looking at the head of a fish. The shells were prized in the region.
Abanto said that the finds probably belonged to members of a local elite who had been conquered by the Inkas.
A common practice in the region is for the bricklayers to chew coca leaf as they work and sometimes bury a few leaves at the now filled-in burial site.
Abanto said that it is possible to find surprising heritage in the city.
A 21st century family lived above another from 500 years ago.
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