1,000-year-old mummy of teen with skin, hair found in Peru
The mummy of a youngster who lived more than 1,000 years ago in Peru has been discovered by archeologists at a burial site known to house the remains of victims of human sacrifice.
The discovery dating back to pre-Inca times was made Monday on the outskirts of the capital of Lima.
The mummy, still bearing pieces of skin and tufts of hair, was found in an underground tomb wrapped in a funerary bundle, along with ancient ceramics and rope.
Archaeologist Yomira Huaman, in charge of the Cajamarquilla research project affiliated with the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, described the mummified teen as being in a “good state of conservation.”
Although Peru is best known for the world-famous Inca royal retreat Machu Picchu, the South American country was home to an array of pre-Hispanic cultures that flourished there centuries before the rise of the Inca empire in the early 13th century.
Experts said that the youth whose remains were unearthed Monday lived between 1,100 and 1,200 years ago, and possibly belonged to the Lima or Ichma cultures.
Archeologists in Peru on Monday found the mummy of an adolescent who died more than 1,000 years ago. REUTERS
The body, still with bits of skin and hair, was found in an underground tomb wrapped in a funerary bundle. REUTERS
The discovery was made at the Cajamarquilla site, located just 12 miles from the modern-day capital of Lima. REUTERS
The mummy was discovered about 220 yards from the spot where the first mummy of Cajamarquilla was found last year.
Located just 12 miles from modern-day Lima, the site is also where the remains of eight children and 12 adults, who were apparently sacrificed around 800-1,200 years ago, were found.
The sprawling Cajamarquilla complex features the ruins of four pyramids and walls laid out like a maze. The site, which was a busy trading hub in its heyday, is the second largest mud-brick city in Peru after Chan Chan in the north.
Ancient rope was found alongside the youngster’s mummy. REUTERS
The rope was used to tie the limbs of the deceased in accordance with the funerary customs of the time. REUTERS
In November, the complex yielded an 800-year-old mummy of a young adult, which had its hands placed over its face and its limbs tied with rope in accordance with funerary practices common among people living in the Andes region at the time.
The remains likely belonged to a man who died between the ages of 25 and 30, and was possibly a trader boasting a high social status, based on the location of his oval tomb directly beneath Cajamarquilla’s town square.
In Jan. 2022, archeologists unearthed a 1,000-year-old mummy of a man between 18 and 22 years old who might have been the son of a prominent merchant, reported Live Science.
The Cajamarquilla complex, which was a busy trading hub in pre-Inca times, features the ruins of four pyramids and walls laid out like a maze. REUTERS
Like the others, the well-preserved corpse was found resting in a fetal position and bound by a rope inside an underground burial chamber.
The remains of a dog and an Andean guinea pig were found next to the mummy, along with corn and the remains of other vegetables.
With Post wires
Source: New York Post
