Peru: Inca Mummies Making Peruvian Home's Construction Complicated

Imagine saving up for decades to be able to build your own house... only to find out that there are mummies buried in the lot you are planning to build on. That is exactly the problem that Peruvian mechanic Hipólito Tica is facing as he tries constructing his house in the capital of Lima.

The centuries-old mummies have been buried in the lot where Tica was planning to build his home for hundreds of years. A mechanic by trade, Tica talked to the Associated Press about his conundrum with his rather unique "neighbors" who have been in the land long before he was even born.

How a Mechanic From Peru Made an Archeological Discovery by Accident

According to Tica, he tried building his home back in 1996 after saving up enough money to build one, However, as he tried to dig a latrine on the lot he was building on, he found out about his "neighbors." He said that he was taking a break from hefting some bricks when the ground suddenly collapsed.

He would run away, but came back with a flashlight soon after. He said that the hole which opened up was around 5 meters deep and 3 meters wide. And as he shined his light into the hole, he discovered what his "neighbors" really were, Incan mummies. He recalled seeing funerary bundles as he tried investigating the hole inside the lot he was building on.

Tica admitted he wasn't sure what to do or who to tell at that time. He did not have a building permit like many Peruvians trying to build a home on the outskirts of Lima. He knew that reporting the mummies could get the attention of authorities, and it could cost him his planned house. However, still decided to tell archeologists what he found.

Luckily, the lot he was working on was only a few meters from the El Sauce archaeological site on the eastern edge of Lima. He found some archeologists who were excavating Incan ceramics nearby. Unfortunately, he said that these archeologists did not pay him much attention and he decided not to press the issue. And with that, he just decided to coexist with his rather unique "neighbors."

Tica Wins the Rights to the Property, But Peruvian Government (and Tica) Still Want Mummies Protected

As time went on, residents of the neighborhood, most of whom were informal settlers, fought to obtain titles to the area. The Los Angeles Times reports that Tica was one of them. And they went ahead to apply for various services including water and sewage. But with the Incan mummies ever-present, they still required to get approval from the Secretary of Culture, as well as a local museum, as the government still wanted these sites protected.

Tica, who had little formal education, would put in the time and effort to research ancient Incan culture, as well as other ancient Peruvian civilizations. However, he still wanted his home built and even thought about just covering the burial chamber with concrete and building his house on top of it. Fortunately, he found a solution.

The mechanic said that he wanted future generations to know about ancient Peruvian culture and that the area had a history. And because of this dedication, he found archeologist Julio Abanto of the Ruricancho Cultural Institute. He approached him and just said that he has a burial area he wanted the archeologist to see.

Abanto got a team together and investigated the site. They found three bundles, each one containing more than one mummy. It is not clear yet how many people were buried in that tomb. However, they found plenty of artifacts, including a crown, bracelets, and other implements. Abanto's team is still investigating the site, though they theorized that the people buried there must have been members of the local elite.

As for Tica, the Associated Press reports that he is currently in the process of finally building his home. But this time, with more appreciation of the heritage the area has.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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