The area has now been cordoned off and officials have launched a full inquiry.
Forensic scientists are on their way to the region to investigate.
According to Silvio Campana, the ombudsman for the southern city of Cusco, the village was taken over by the armed forces and used as a base during their fight against leftist rebels during the 80s and 90s. Residents, who returned to the village after years away, unearthed the graves. Bloody conflict Some 30,000 Peruvians died during the guerrilla warfare which lasted from 1987 to 1991. Correspondents say the discovery could influence next month's second-round vote for the Peruvian presidency, as the bodies may be those of people who disappeared when one of the candidates, Alan Garcia, was president. Shining Path, considered one of the most bloody rebel movements in Latin America, killed and carried out car bombings in its bid to replace the government with communist rule.