The remains of 20 people who may have been victims of ritual sacrifice have been found near a mummy.
The mummy, a male, was found in an underground tomb in the ancient city of Cajamarquilla on the outskirts of Lima. The preservation of the mummy made headlines around the world, as the man was lying in a fetal position. The man was thought to be between 18 and 22 years old when he died, but new research shows he was 35 years old at the time of his mummification. Archaeologists named the mummy.
The skeletons of 12 adults and eight children were wrapped in funerary bundles. Some of the children may have been sacrificed as part of a funerary ritual, the researchers said.
The mummies of Egypt and Peru.
We know that the people of the South American countries had funerary practices, rituals, and a way of seeing the world that was completely different from ours, according to an archaeology professor at the National University of San Marcos.
The team will use the remains to learn more about the people.
Around 1,000 years ago, the city of Cajamarquilla had four pyramids. It was an important place for trade between people who lived in the coastal and mountainous areas of the country. The archaeologists said that only 1% of the site has been excavated.
Historians have to rely on archaeological remains to understand what life was like because there was no writing system in that time. Van Dalen Luna did not respond to a request for comment.
It was originally published on Live Science.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
