A 1,000-Year-Old Mummy Just Showed Up in Peru With a Full Head of Hair
The Huaca Pucllana site in Lima, Peru contains a wealth of archeological exploration tucked amidst the well-off Miraflores residential district.
The newly located mummy, possibly 1,000 years old, has long hair and an intact jaw.
The latest Lima find comes on the heels of other recent mummy discoveries in the city.
The people of Lima, Peru keep uncovering intriguing neighbors. The latest comes from the Huaca Pucllana site amidst Lima’s well-to-do Miraflores residential district—and it’s a 1,000-year-old mummy.
The mummy—an adult found in a sitting position with bent legs—still had an intact jaw and long brown hair, according to Reuters, and was surrounded by ceramic vessels, textiles, and other objects.
“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,” archaeologist Mirella Ganoza told Reuters.
Huaca Pucllana, a 72-foot-tall adobe and clay pyramid, was likely built as part of an irrigation administration structure in 500 AD by the Ychsma people—well before the Incan Machu Picchu was built. The Wari culture soon took over the area and, at some point, the region also became a burial site, especially for nobility.
The site is now home to an affluent residential neighborhood, and this merging of ancient civilizations and modern life isn’t unique in Lima. The city boasts 10 million residents, but around 400 huacas—archaeological ruins—still pepper the city.
The Huaca Pucllana is believed to hold a wealth of additional finds.
Locating mummies in Lima is almost becoming commonplace. In March, a man was found hauling around a potentially 800-year-old mummy in a cooler. Then, in June, a roughly 3,000-year-old mummy was located under a dump site that was previously home to a temple. This mummy may have been offered as a sacrifice.
And there was also the April find of a 1,000-year-old mummy about 15 miles from Lima with skin and hair still intact. Experts believe the adolescent was offered as a human sacrifice.
As archaeologists continue to mine the ruins within Lima, they expect to unearth more remains of the various cultures of Peru’s past.
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