Mummies and dunes: a tour of southwestern Peru 1:05
(CNN) -
A mummy estimated to be between 800 and 1,200 years old was found by archaeologists in Peru, in a place near the country's capital, Lima.
Researchers from the National University of San Marcos found the body preserved underground in the middle of a town square in the archaeological site of Cajamarquilla, about 25 kilometers from the interior of Lima.
The mummy was tied with ropes and with his hands covering his face, in what researchers say is a funeral custom from southern Peru.
The age of the mummy means that it dates back to pre-Hispanic times, and even predates the Inca civilization that established Peru's best-known citadel, Machu Picchu, in the 15th century.
"The discovery of this resident sheds new light on interactions and relationships in pre-Hispanic times," said Pieter Van Dalen Luna, one of the archaeologists who led the excavation.
Van Dalen Luna told CNN that the mummy was most likely a young man between the ages of 25 and 30 who had come from the mountains to Cajamarquilla, formerly a busy commercial center in pre-Columbian times.
Archaeologists found the mummy of a man reportedly in his 25 to 30 age range at the time of his death.
The excavation work began in mid-October with a team of 40 people led by Van Dalen Luna and the archaeologist Yomira Huamán Santillán, and the discovery was a surprise because they were not looking for a mummy.
"The whole team was very happy because we didn't think this was going to happen," Huamán told CNN.
"We did not expect to make such an important discovery."
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Another unexpected find was several marine mollusks outside the mummy's tomb, which, according to Van Dalen Luna, is unusual given that Cajamarquilla is about 25 kilometers from the coast.
"After the body is placed in the grave, there are constant events and activities," said Van Dalen Luna.
"That is, their descendants keep coming for many years and placing food and offerings there, including mollusks."
Llama bones were also found outside the tomb, and Van Dalen Luna said it was commonly eaten by people at the time, so pieces of llama meat would have been offered to the deceased.
The circumstances of the discovery led the researchers to conclude that he was not an ordinary citizen, but probably an important person in the society of his time.
Mummies and dunes: a tour of southwestern Peru 1:05
"The fact of finding a mummy with these characteristics in the middle of the square makes it clear that it is someone of high status," said Van Dalen Luna, who added that, among other options, the person in question could have been an important merchant .
The team will now carry out more specialized analysis, including carbon dating, which will allow them to narrow down the period in which the person lived and more details about their identity.
Several mummies have previously been found in Peru and neighboring Chile, many of them more than 1,000 years old.
Mummy Peru