Lima: Gas Workers Find 1,000-Year-Old Child Mummy
During work on a gas pipeline network in the Puente Piedra district of Lima, workers discovered an exceptionally well-preserved mummy. The child, presumably between 10 and 15 years old, was buried about 1.20 meters below the surface in a seated position. The burial site is attributed to the pre-Columbian Chancay culture and is about 1,000 years old.
Traces of an Ancient Tomb
Initially, the construction workers came across the trunk of an old Huarango tree, which once served as a grave marker. A few meters below, they found the mummy, wrapped in a burial shroud. In the immediate vicinity were ceramic vessels with marine remains, including crabs – indications of the deceased's diet and possibly their social context.
Fisher Motifs and a View of the Sea
The ceramics display geometric patterns and depictions of fishermen. The western orientation of the mummy suggests a connection to the sea. Archaeologist Jesús Bahamonde suspects that the child belonged to a fishing family from the coastal Chancay culture, which flourished between 1000 and 1500 – before the rise of the Inca Empire in the 15th century.
Lima as an Archaeological Treasure Trove
Because Lima is built on millennia-old cultural ground, it is legally required to involve archaeological experts in construction projects. The gas company Cálidda, which carried out the work, claims to have documented over 2,200 archaeological finds in the past ten years.
Natural Preservation by Climate
Many mummies on the Peruvian coast are well-preserved due to the dry climate. Some, as in the current case, still show visible hair. Experts like Pieter Van Dalen from the College of Archaeologists of Peru emphasize that burials in a seated position with hands in front of the face are typical for deliberately mummified bodies.
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