On Monday, Peruvian archaeologists discovered a more than 1,000-year-old mummy on the outskirts of Lima, the latest discovery going back to pre-Inca times. The mummy, which was probably an adolescent, was discovered in an underground grave wrapped in a burial bundle containing ceramics and rope, as well as remnants of skin and hair.
The mummified adolescent was discovered in a “good state of conservation,” according to archaeologist Yomira Huaman, who is in charge of the Cajamarquilla research project, which is linked with the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.
Peru was home to several pre-Hispanic tribes that prospered in the decades before the Inca empire rose to power, primarily along the country’s central coast and in the Andes.
The teenager lived between 1,100 and 1,200 years ago and could have been a member of the Lima or Ichma cultures. Huaman added that the mummy was located roughly 220 yards from where the first Cajamarquilla mummy was discovered, referring to another mummy unearthed close last year.
The archaeological excavation also contained the remains of eight toddlers and twelve adults who were allegedly sacrificed about 800-1,200 years ago.
The enormous Cajamarquilla complex has the remnants of four pyramids as well as other structures such as maze-like walls. The complex is Peru’s second biggest mud-brick city, after Chan Chan in the country’s northwestern Andes.
According to Huaman, Cajamarquilla was possibly inhabited by people from the shore and the Andean highlands. The location, located in a desert area approximately 12 miles from Lima, was thought to be a major trading center. (www.saasgenius.com)