discovery of an exceptional mummy in the region of Lima

Peruvian archaeologists have discovered in the suburbs of Lima a pre-Incaic mummy, between 800 and 1,200 years old, tied with cords, a person in charge of the excavation told AFP. A unique discovery of its kind in this region.

The mummy found in a seated position, his face covered with his hands, is likely a man between 18 and 22 years old, buried between 800 and 1200 AD. It was discovered in a conical-shaped burial chamber 1.40 meters deep in the archaeological site of Cajamarquilla, 24 km east of Lima.

“It is about a mummy tied with cords”, told AFP archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen, head of the Cajamarquilla project. “It is a particular and unique characteristic” for the time and place, according to him. The position in which it was found indicates that the person buried was not from the region but rather from the high Andes, explained the archaeologist to the Peruvian daily. La Republica. This would prove that Cajamarquilla, located in the coastal area, was a site where people from both regions met to conduct business transactions.

The skeleton of a guinea pig and that of another animal that could be a dog have been unearthed in the same burial chamber, which also contained remains of corn and other plants. According to Pieter Van Dalen, Cajamarquilla was an important urban center, with around 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, built around 200 BC and which remained occupied until the 16th century AD.