Archaeologists have discovered a 1000 year old mummy with long hair at an archaeological site in the Peruvian capital Lima. The specimen belongs to an adult with an intact chin and hair that has remained for centuries.
The mummy was discovered alongside ceramics and textiles inside a ceremonial grave at the Huaca Pucllana clay pyramid. Huaca Pucllana is a large adobe and clay pyramid built from a 7 step platform. This great pyramid was an important ceremonial site and a political center. It was used to control the power of the elite clergy who dominated the region and the use of all the water resources in the area.
Archaeologist Mirella Ganoza said “I find it quite interesting that right in the heart of Miraflores, in the middle of the city, surrounded by modern buildings and constructions, an important site is still preserved, the Huaca Pucllana ceremonial center.”
The mummy that was discovered may have been alive up to a thousand years ago, during the outset of the Ychsma civilization that emerged on Peru‘s central coast. Before the arrival of the Incas, there was during a period of social reorganisation.
According to Washington Post, Lima has more than 400 hallowed locations. These are the location of several archeological ruins that aid historians in their research. The cultural and societal situations of indigenous Peruvians throughout history have been evaluated using the mummies discovered in these areas.
In fact, the mummy we are reporting on is not the only one. Earlier this year, archaeologists found another 1000 year old mummy at the ‘Cajamarquilla’ archaeological site near Lima, with hair and skin intact. Those remains were thought to belong to a teenager.
In June a 3000 year old mummy was found in Lima. This mummy probably belonged to the Manchay culture, which flourished in the Lima valleys between 1500 and 1000 BC.