Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of what appears to be a 4,000-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 in Chicato.  

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 research 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.

“We think that a large temple was built into the side of the mountain, and we’ve found one section of it,” said Muro Ynoñan. The Ministerio de Cultura, or Ministry of Culture, in Peru said special ceremonies were held inside the temple.

The team also uncovered what appeared to be a small theater with a “stage-like platform.”

“This could have been used to perform ritual performances in front of a selected audience,” said Muro Ynoñan. 

Among the most interesting findings was a carving of a mythological bird creature etched into a mud panel by one of the theater’s staircases. Muro Ynoñán described it as an “anthropomorphic bird” with “some reptilian features.” 

He and his team have found similar representations of the mythological creature on other archaeological digs that date back to the Initial Period, roughly 4,000 years ago.

The findings, Muro Ynoñán said, could shed light on unanswered questions about the origins of ancient religion in Peru.

“The Initial Period is important because it’s when we first start to see evidence of an institutionalized religion in Peru,” he said. “The bird creature at this temple resembles a figure known from the Chavín region, nearly 500 years later. This new site could help reveal the origins of this religion.”

According to the release from the Field Museum, the temple predates Machu Picchu — Peru’s most well-known archaeological site, located in Cuzco — by roughly 3,500 years. The Incas built Machu Picchu around 600 years ago.