Archaeologists have found an ancient mummy under a garbage dump

Ancient mummy found under rubbish dump in Peru. Archaeologists excavating a garbage dump in the South American capital of Lima have discovered a mummy they believe is about 3,000 years old.

Students from the University of San Marcos, who are helping scientists with the excavations, were the first to notice the mummy’s hair and skull, reports the BBC.

Archaeologist Miguel Aguilar said they removed eight tons of debris from the site before their meticulous search for the historical remains began.

The amazing find was made on a hilltop in Peru’s capital next to the training field of the professional football club Sporting Cristal. A team of excavators worked during the first months of this year, collecting tons of rubbish that covered the top of the hill.

The hill, on which the remains of ancient adobe walls are preserved, was called “huaca”, a Quechua word meaning “oracle” or “sacred place”. According to the Ministry of Culture, there are more than 400 such “huaca” in Lima.

The eyes of archaeologists appeared human remains with long black hair, lying face up, and the lower limbs were tied with a rope of plant origin. Stones surrounded the mummy, buried at a depth of one meter.

The burial was on top of a ruined clay U-shaped temple, characteristic of some pre-Hispanic buildings. According to Aguilar, the mummy has not yet undergone radiocarbon dating to determine its age. The archaeologist said old fly eggs were found next to the male skeleton, leading scientists to believe the body had been out in the open for at least a few days before it was covered with earth.

Peter Van Dalen, a professor at the National University Mayor de San Marcos who is an expert on Peruvian coastline archeology but was not involved in the project, says the rope tying the mummy’s lower limbs is an example of a ceremonial pattern. He cited the example of another mummy found in another area of ​​Lima, whose body was also tied with vegetable ropes.

The mummy is believed to date back to the Manchai culture. Its representatives, says BBC News, lived in the vicinity of modern Lima from about 1500 to 1000 BC.

They are known for building U-shaped temples oriented towards the rising sun.

Miguel Aguilar explained that the mummy was placed in a tomb at the center of such a U-shaped temple. The scientist said that the body was located flat, which is typical for the Manchai culture of the “age of formation”, about 3000 years ago.

The body was wrapped in a cloth made from cotton and plant fiber.

The archaeologist says the man “was buried or brought [в жертву] at the last stage of the construction of this temple.”

Archaeologists have also unearthed other items buried with the body, including corn, coca leaves and seeds that they believe may have been part of a sacrifice.

Mummification was practiced by various cultures in what is now Peru before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, people who traveled across the Americas as part of the Spanish conquest.

Some mummies were buried, many in the fetal position, while others were removed and put on display during key holidays, BBC News notes.