A mummy in an unusual state has been found at the archaeological site of Cajamarquilla, near the Peruvian capital, Lima. The mummy is in good condition and was tracked by researchers from the National University of San Marcos.
The mummy was tied all over with ropes, then his palms covered his face. While its age is estimated to be between 800 to 1,200 years ago, before the emergence of the Inca civilization in the 15th century.
Then why is this mummy bound and his face covered by his own hands? Scientists say it was the custom of burying corpses at that time. "This is part of a local burial pattern," said Professor Pieter Van Dallen, who led the research.
The mummy was probably a young man between the ages of 25 and 30. The excavation process was carried out in mid-October, with a team of archaeologists consisting of 40 people.
The discovery of the bound mummy was called surprising because in fact, this team was not looking for the whereabouts of the mummy. "The whole team is very happy because we didn't expect this to happen," said archaeologist Yomira Huaman Santillan.
"We never thought that we would make this discovery of such significance," he added. Another interesting finding was that there were several shells that were outside the mummy and this was also unusual because Cajamarquilla was far from the coast.
"After his body was placed in the grave, there was constant activity. His descendants often returned years later, placing food and offerings there, including this," said Van Dalen.
There are also llama animal bones which were common food at that time. These scientists also concluded that the mummy in question was probably at the time he was still alive, not an ordinary citizen, but an important person. It could be that his profession was a high-status trader.
