A mummy that is about 3,000 years old has been unearthed by archaeologists near the Peruvian capital of Lima.
Key points:
- Experts say it was a person who had undergone a mummification process on the inside
- The mummy likely belonged Manchay culture which developed in Lima between 1,500 and 1,000 BCE
- Bottlenecks, corn, coca leaves, and seeds have been found buried with the body
Students from San Marcos University and researchers initially found remains of its hair and a skull in a cotton bundle during excavation.
Further work at the Huaca La Florida archaeological site, in the central Rimac Valley, later unveiled the rest of the mummy.
Peruvian archaeologist Miguel Aguilar said the mummy was found in a pre-Hispanic burial.
“It was a person who had undergone a mummification process on the inside,” he said.
“The person who had been left or offered up in this area happened in the last phase of the construction of this temple.”
Mr Aguilar said the mummy likely belonged to the Manchay culture.
“It is a culture that developed in the valleys of Lima between 1,500 and 1,000 BCE,” he said.
“They are associated with the culture of the U-shaped temples, which are a group of buildings that have a U-shape in their layout and are always pointing towards the sunrise.”
Archaeologists have also unearthed other objects buried with the body such as bottlenecks, corn, coca leaves, and seeds which experts believe may be part of an offering.
Reuters