1000-year-old mummy with long hair unearthed in pyramid in Peru

A 1,000-year-old mummy was found with intact long hair in a residential neighbourhood in Peru's capital Lima.

An archaeologist works on a site where a 1,000-year-old mummy was unearthed, at a residential neighbourhood, in Lima, Peru September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda

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Achaeologists have discovered a 1,000-year-old mummy in an archaeological site in a residential neighbourhood of Peru’s capital in Lima. The specimen is an adult individual with an intact jaw and long hair that has lasted for centuries.

The mummy was found inside a ceremonial grave in the Huaca Pucllana clay pyramid along with ceramic objects and textiles, said archaeologist Mirella Ganoza to Reuters. “I find it quite interesting that right in the heart of Miraflores, in the middle of the city, surrounded by modern buildings and constructions, an important site is still preserved, the Huaca Pucllana ceremonial center,” added Ganoza.

The unearthed mummy might have lived as long as 1,000 years ago during the beginning of the Ychsma culture that developed on the central coast of Peru. This was during a period of social reorganisation before the Incas arrived to the area.

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There are more than 400 sacred sites in Lima, according to The Washington Post. These are home to many archaeological ruins that help experts answer questions about the past. The mummies found in these regions have been used to assess the cultural and societal conditions of indigenous Peruvians through history.

Archaeologists found another 1,000-year-old mummy at the Cajamarquilla archaeological site near Lima earlier this year, reported NBC. The remains found then is believed to have belonged to an adolescent and were found with parts of its hair and skin intact.

A 3,000-year-old mummy was discovered in Lima in June this year, according to a Reuters report at the time. That one probably belonged to the Manchay culture which developed in the valleys of Lima between 1,500 and 1,000 BC.

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