In the most recent discovery dating back to pre-Inca times, Peruvian archaeologists uncovered a mummy over 1,000 years old on the outskirts of the modern capital on Monday.

The mummy, believed to be that of an adolescent, was discovered in an underground tomb wrapped in a funerary bundle alongside ceramics and rope, including fragments of skin and hair, Yahoo News reported.

According to Yomira Huaman, the archaeologist in charge of the Cajamarquilla research project affiliated with the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, the mummified adolescent was found to be in a “good state of conservation.”

Although Peru is most famous for the mountain-top Inca royal retreat of Machu Picchu, it was also home to various pre-Hispanic cultures that thrived along the country’s central coast and in the Andes in the centuries before the Inca empire rose to power.

The mummified adolescent discovered by Peruvian archaeologists on the outskirts of the modern capital lived between 1,100 and 1,200 years ago, and may have belonged to either the Lima or Ichma cultures.

The mummy was found roughly 200 metres (220 yards) from where the first mummy of Cajamarquilla was discovered, as explained by archaeologist Yomira Huaman, who also referred to another mummy found nearby last year.

The archaeological site is also where the remains of eight children and twelve adults, who were presumably sacrificed around 800-1,200 years ago, were found.

The sprawling Cajamarquilla complex includes the ruins of four pyramids and other constructions, such as walls arranged like a maze, as reported by Yahoo News.

The complex is the second-largest mud-brick city in Peru after Chan Chan in the northern part of the Andean country.

According to Huaman, Cajamarquilla was possibly occupied by people from the coast and the Andean highlands.

The site, located in a dusty area about 20 km (12 miles) from Lima, was believed to be a bustling trading center.

Written by staff