Peru archaeologists unearth mummies

Friday, November 24, 2023

Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed four mummies of children that are supposedly 1000 years-old from one of the oldest settlements of modern day Lima.

The 1,000-years-old mummies laid under a sacred ceremonial place in ancient Peru.

Researchers believe the children come from the Ychsma culture that developed on Peru’s central coast.

The civilization existed before the Inca Empire rose to span swathes of the Andean region.

Archaeologists discovered the mummies of the children on Monday alongside the remains of an adult.

Some remains they found at the foot of a staircase on a small hill. Archaeologists believe the hill once hid a temple.

Luis Takuda an archaeologist in Lima’s Rimac district said the temple was likely built 3,500 years ago.

This whole area is a very important ceremonial chamber, Takuda said.

The people who lived here during the Ychsma period still considered it a sacred space and therefore buried their dead here.

Takuda said the mummies’ skulls still had hair on them. The remains were visible alongside ceramics.

With a population of about 10 million, the Peruvian capital is home to some 400 archaeological ruins.

Peru‘s largest archaeological sites are located outside Lima in places such as Cusco.

It was the capital of the Inca Empire and fell to Spanish conquistadores in the 16^th century.

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