Archaeologists in Peru have recently conducted excavations at a garbage site in the capital city of Lima, where they discovered a mummy believed to be around 3,000 years old.
Students from San Marcos University, who assisted in the excavation, were the first to uncover the hair and skull of the mummy.
Archaeologist Miguel Aguilar stated that they removed 8 tons of waste from the site before carefully searching for artifacts.
The mummy is thought to date back to the Manchay culture.
The Manchay people inhabited the area surrounding modern-day Lima from around 1500 to 1000 BC.
They are known for constructing U-shaped temples oriented towards the rising sun.
Mr. Aguilar explained that the mummy was placed in a tomb at the center of one of these U-shaped temples. He noted that the body was laid flat, characteristic of the Manchay culture during the “formation era”, approximately 3,000 years ago.
The mummy’s body was wrapped in fabric made from cotton and plant fibers.
3000-year-old mummy at the excavation site – (Photo: BBC).
Close-up of the mummy – (Photo: BBC).
Excavation site on a hillside – (Photo: BBC).
The archaeologist remarked that this individual “was either left behind or sacrificed during the final stages of the temple’s construction.”
The mummification process was carried out by various cultures in present-day Peru before the Spanish conquerors arrived.
Some mummies were buried, many were found in a fetal position, while others were taken out and paraded during significant festivals.
