Archaeologists unearth 800-year-old mummy in Peru

The mummy was discovered tied up by ropes in the Lima region

Another, 600-year-old mummy was found in the Mangomarca archaeological site, east of Lima, last year (AFP via Getty)

Archaeologists have found a mummy estimated to be at least 800 years old on Peru’s central coast.

The remains are believed to be of a person from a culture that developed between the coast and the mountains of the South American country.

While the mummy’s sex has not been identified, archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen Luna, from the State University of San Marcos, has said it was discovered in an underground structure on the outskirts of the city of Lima. It is believed that the remains are of a person who lived in the high Andean region of Peru.

According to Prof Van Dalen Luna, “the main characteristic of the mummy is that the whole body was tied up by ropes and with the hands covering the face, which would be part of the local funeral pattern”.

He added: “Radiocarbon dating will give a more precise chronology.”

Inside the tomb were offerings, including ceramics, stone tools and the remains of vegetables, he said.

In 2006, a mummy was discovered at the archaeological site at El Brujo, located north of Trujillo in the country’s La Libertad region. It was estimated that the woman, who was given the nickname the Lady of Cao, had died in AD450, and that she may have been a Moche ruler. Before her discovery, it was believed that only men had held high-ranking positions in Moche culture.