By Jonathan Mason-June 16th, 2023.
Archaeologists in Peru conducting an excabation at the site of a landfill in the capital Lima have found a mummy they think could be around 3,000 years old.
Students from San Marcos University, who are helping with the dig, first spotted the mummy’s hair and skull.
Archaeologist Miguel Aguilar said they had removed eight tonnes of rubbish from the location before their careful search for historic remains began.
The mummy is thought to date back to the times of the Manchay culture.
The Manchay lived in the area around modern-day Lima from around 1500BC to 1000BC.
They are known for building U-shaped temples oriented towards the rising sun.
The body was wrapped in cloth made from cotton and vegetable fibers. Items buried with the body, including corn, coca leaves and seeds, are believed to have been part of an offering.
A mummy is a dead body which has been preserved from decay after being treated with substances and wrapped in cloth.
