Peruvian mummy of 800 years old found by archeologists in Lima

Monday, November 29, 2021

At a site near the country’s capital city of Lima, a mummy estimated between 800 and 1,200 years old has been unearthed by archeologists in Peru. The preserved body was found underground in the middle of a town square at the archeological site of Cajamarquilla, around 25 km inland from Lima.

The mummy was tied with ropes and with its hands covering its face, according to researchers it’s a southern Peruvian funeral custom. The age of the mummy means it dates back to pre-Hispanic times, and even precedes the Inca civilization who established Peru’s best-known citadel of Machu Picchu in the 15^th century.

Pieter Van Dalen Luna, one of the archeologists who led the excavation said the discovery of the resident sheds new light on interactions and relationships in pre-Hispanic times. The mummy was most likely a young man between 25 and 30 years old who came from the mountains to Cajamarquilla.

After the body is placed in the tomb, there are constant events and activities. Their descendants keep coming back over many years and placed food and offerings there including mollusks.

Llama bones were also found outside the tomb. Several mummies have previously been found in Peru and neighboring Chile, with many being over 1,000 years old.

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