After a month of excavation, archeologists unearthed a mummy estimated to be between 800 and 1,200 years old in Peru.

Peruvian Archeologists Discovered Mummy in Pre-Columbian Commercial Center

Based on a report, researchers from the National University of San Marcos discovered the preserved body underground in the middle of a town square at the archeological site of Cajamarquilla.

According to ABC7, Pieter Van Dalen Luna, one of the archeologists who led the excavation at a site near the country's capital city of Lima stated that the discovery of the ancient resident shed new light on interactions and relationships in pre-Hispanic times.

Van Dalen Luna from the state university of San Marcos pointed out that the main characteristic of the mummy was that its whole body was tied up by ropes and with the hands were covering the face. The tying of the rope could be traced back by the historians to a local funeral pattern.

Researchers said that it was a southern Peruvian funeral custom and the age of the mummy could be dated back to pre-Hispanic times, and it could even precede the Inca civilization, who established Peru's best-known citadel of Machu Picchu in the 15th century.

In an interview with CNN, Van Dalen Luna shared that based on his initial assessment, the mummy was most likely a young man between 25 and 30 years old who had come from the mountains to Cajamarquilla, which was a former bustling commercial center in the pre-Columbian era.

The excavation work started in the middle of October and was composed of 40 individuals led by Van Dalen Luna and fellow archeologist Yomira Huamán Santillán.

The archeologists were shocked by the discovery because they were not searching for a mummy.

Huamán Santillán revealed that the whole team was really happy because they were not expecting this to happen, but the archeologist emphasized the importance of their discovery.

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More Discovery in Excavation Where At least 800-Year-old Mummy Found

Aside from the mummy, archeologists also found another unexpected marine mollusk outside the tomb of the mummy. The discovery of the marine life remains was considered by Van Dalen Luna unusual, given the fact that Cajamarquilla is around 25 kilometers from the coast.

Van Dalen Luna said that after the body was placed in the tomb, there were constant events and activities. The archeologists suspected that the descendants of the mummy kept coming back over the years and placed food and offerings in the tomb including mollusks.

Furthermore, llama bones were also found outside the tomb, and Van Dalen Luna said that it was commonly eaten by people of the time. Pieces of llama meat were usually offered to the deceased, which explains its presence in the tomb.

The circumstances of the discovery also prompted researchers to conclude that the mummy was not an ordinary citizen, but likely an important person in contemporary society.

Van Dalen Luna added that among other options, the person in question could have been a leading trader because of the characteristics of the mummy and its placement because it was found in the middle of the plaza. Archeologists considered it as someone of high status.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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