San Marcos archaeologist discovers 1200-year-old ‘Mummy’ in Peru

South America: Archaeologists from the National University of San Marcos have discovered a ‘Mummy’ in Cajamarquilla, a coastal city in Peru and about 15.5 miles from the capital, Lima.

They went to investigate an unknown underground tomb in Peru, where they suspiciously saw the shadow of a strange structure. The excavators headed towards the shadow and found a mummy, which was kept in good condition.

The structure was fully tied with the ropes with its hands covering its face. The archaeologists managed to take out the mummy from the depths of the tomb. 

While conducting a survey, they provided a rough estimation that the mysterious mummy is expected to be between 800 and 1200 years old. The body is considered to be a man who was aged between 18-22 years. 

The speculation about the pose that the mummy was found in was disturbing to some, having said that researchers believe that the mummy was bound by ropes and put in the foetal position in accordance with the southern Peruvian Funeral Customs.

The excavators continued their search inside the burial place, where they found a ceramic, remains of vegetables, Andean guinea pig, corn kernels and stone tools. It is surprising how buried and preserved bodies can provide so much information about the civilization. 

Peruvian Funeral Customs

Ancient Peru consisted of agricultural societies that had unique attachments and connections with the natural environment. They believed that humans followed the natural cycle of life, where they were born, died and travelled to the underworld after their deaths. 

The funeral custom in Peru was quite surprising in the old days. When a person died, a Peruvian community wrapped the bodies of the deceased in several layers, built tombs and placed the bodies in depth in order to preserve their bodies.

Considerably, the Andean societies performed a funeral ritual by wearing masks to the deceased, which transformed the deceased into a figure it represented. This transformed the corpse into a powerful ancestor who could fertilize the earth and ensure the continuation of civilization.

Additionally, the people around the world shared their opinions regarding the discovery of Mummy in Peru through their comments on the social media (Facebook). 

“The foetal position may be a reference “from birth to death.” Circle of life”, quoted one FB user. 

“Probably someone with dementia, they tied them up and put them in a hole”, commented another.