Pre-Inca Mummy Discovered in Lima

While utility workers were digging trenches to extend natural gas pipelines in Lima, Peru, they stumbled upon an ancient mummy dating back around 1,000 years, just 20 inches below the surface.

Surprisingly, despite extensive urban development in the area, mummies have gone unnoticed in this district, which has shifted from agricultural land to a working-class zone over recent decades.

On Wednesday, archaeologist Jose Aliga from Utility Caridda shared details about the find, noting that the mummy was in a seated position, bundled up, and still bore dark brown hair.

“We found the bodies and indications of possible pre-Hispanic burials,” Aliga remarked, mentioning that workers discovered this last week.

Lima, which sits in a valley watered by three rivers from the Andes, has been home to human civilization for thousands of years, well before Spanish colonization in 1535.

Now with a population of about 10 million, Lima boasts over 400 archaeological sites, many interwoven with its modern landscape.

Peter Van Darren, dean at Peru’s University of Archaeologists, remarked on the find, although he wasn’t directly involved in the excavation. He pointed out that mummies typically found along the Peruvian coast are naturally mummified due to the desert environment.

He further explained that mummification practices often stem from cultural traditions, with many mummies discovered sitting, hands covering their faces or bodies.

Jess Bahamond, who directs the Metropolitan Lima Archaeological Surveillance Plan in Kalidda, identified the recently uncovered mummies as belonging to the Chankai culture, known for its fishing community, which thrived from around 1,000 to 1,470 AD.