Mysterious mummy discovered in Peru estimated to be around 1200 years old

Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed an 800-1200 years old mummy on the outskirts of the capital Lima. The mummy appears to be the remains of a man who would have aged nearly 18-22 years old at the time of his death.

Archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen, the head of the excavation project conducted by National Major San Marcos University, called the discovery ‘peculiar and unique’.  He added, “The mummy would have been buried sometime between 800-1200 AD”.

The skeleton of the mummy was placed in the burial chamber about three meters (10 feet) long and 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) deep in Cajamarquilla, which is about 24 km (14.9 miles) east of Lima. The man whose mummy has been discovered was tied with a rope, and his face was covered by his hands.

Cajamarquilla was an urban center that was estimated to be home to 10,000-20-000 people. The town was built in approximately 200 BC and was occupied until about 1500 AD. Huari was the first whose culture flourished along the Peruvian coast ca. a.d. 400-600.

In ancient Peru, during c. 1400 and 1533 CE, the Inca civilization flourished in the region. Their empire eventually extended across western South America from Quito in the north to Santiago in the south.

Presently, Peru is home to hundreds of archaeological sites from the diverse cultures that developed before and after the Inca Empire. These empires dominated the western regions of South America during the 15^th and 16^th centuries, which was eventually conquered by the Spanish.

In October 2021, archaeologists uncovered a mass grave containing intact remains of nearly 25 humans in the Chan Chan site, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu Empire, which reached its peak in the 15^th century before it was occupied by the Incas.

It was the largest in pre-Columbian American city, which is evident from its strict political and social strategy, marked by the city’s division in nine ‘citadels’ or ‘palaces’ forming autonomous units.

In 2019, archaeologists found the largest mass grave of sacrificed children in Peru. Skeletons of 227 children that are believed to be killed in a child sacrifice ritual were discovered near the present-day beachside tourist town Huanchaco. Archaeologists believe that this site also belongs to the Chimu era.