Lima, Oct 23 (IANS): Archeologists have discovered ceremonial pots, carved stones, clay jugs and beads dating back to 1438 AD at Peru's Machu Picchu.

The artefacts probably belong to Chimu culture, Xinhua Tuesday quoted researcher Carlos Werner Delgado as saying.

The articles were buried 70 centimetres underground in a three-walled patio known as "wayrana", located in the Temple of the Condor of Machu Picchu.

The relics date from the era of Inca ruler Pachacutec, who governed between the years 1438 and 1470 AD, said archaeologists.

The pieces will be taken to the Machu Picchu Museum, located at the entrance of the famed Inca city, where researchers will continue to investigate their origins.

Machu Picchu, which stands 2,430 metres above sea-level, was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire. Its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments.