A pre-Inca mummy between 800 and 1,200 years old was discovered in perfect condition in an ancient mud urban center on the outskirts of Lima, those responsible for the discovery reported Tuesday.
Source: AFP
The remains sThey were from a person who would be about 12 or 13 years old with an approximate height of 1 meter with 30 centimeters.
“We have found the mummy of an adolescent between 800 and 1,200 years old in a 2-meter-deep funerary structure at the archaeological site of Cajamarquilla,” archaeologist Yomira Huamán, head of the Cajamarquilla Archaeological Project, told AFP.
the funerary structure it was covered with a large mud rock.
The individual, of unknown sex for now, he was probably an inhabitant of the Ichma culture which existed about 900 years ago before being annexed by the Inca Empire in the 15th century.
According to Huamán, the coarse sand in the area, with high salt components, would have generated a natural mummification process, which has allowed the arms, forearms and both legs to retain remains of skin, while the head, separated from the body, it maintains locks of hair, and in the case of the jaw, part of the teeth can still be seen.
“The finding is very important due to its state of conservation,” said the researcher who leads the team of archaeologists from the University of San Marcos.
Next to the mummy, a boleadora (stone weapon) was found, a mate (dish), a copper needle, remains of textiles, corn and chili.
In February 2022, archaeologists found 20 mummies in Cajamarquilla, including eight children.
Cajamarquilla was an urban center where multiple functions such as administrative, domestic and residential sectors were developed.
The place is considered a prehispanic city of mud, which could have housed between 10,000 and 20,000 people in an area of 167 hectares.
It was built around the year 200 BC and was occupied until the year 1500.
The city It is located 24 km east of Lima and is one of the largest archaeological complexes in the Peruvian capital.
