Four pre-Incan “mummies,” buried sitting upright and facing the sea, have been found in a pyramid-shaped cemetery in Lima, Peru.
“There are four human burial sites, for adult individuals, three women and one man, who lived between the years 1000 to 1450,” explained archaeologist Isabel Flores, director of the excavation in Huaca Pucllana, an ancient ceremonial complex perhaps dating to 200 CE.
According to Daily Mail, the human remains were found in a residential area of the city, and confirm that the Ichma culture did indeed exist in early Lima. Archaeologists believe they were wrapped in textiles in an attempt to mummify them—which doesn’t seem to have worked, although some of them actually still have hair—and were found with offerings like ceramics and weaving tools.
The “mummies” belonged to a somewhat mysterious people known as the Ichma, who dominated the region near Lima following the Wari culture beginning around 1000. Eventually, they were absorbed by the Incas in 1440—a people whom we know significantly more about.
We do know that, like the Incas, the Ichma believed there was a link between the gods and living humans. This link was somewhat mediated by mummies, who were “consulted” on certain occasions, and who were often placed near temples and on high ground in a sort of gesture of honor. The sitting positions of the remains found are believed to be tied to this tradition, perhaps holding some sort of ritual significance.
The Spanish conquistadors of the 16th century were apparently disgusted by this practice, and thus looted and destroyed many of the grave sites and mummies—meaning much of the evidence of the Ichma culture was permanently lost. The four Ichma grave sites just found were also likely looted, but despite that they may provide previously unknown knowledge about these early people.
“These are the first four tombs of the Ichma culture. We think that we may still find more,” said Flores.
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Image credit: Thinkstock
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