Latest news with #ChancayCulture
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
1,000-year-old pre-Inca mummy discovered just half a metre below a street in Lima
The remains, identified as a woman aged 20 to 30, were wrapped in a bundle that still had visible dark brown hair. Alongside the body, archaeologists found nine ceramic vessels, including a painted bottle depicting a fisherman in a headdress - suggesting the woman belonged to the Chancay culture, a coastal fishing society that thrived between 1000 and 1470 AD. The discovery is part of an ongoing archaeological monitoring program by the national gas company Cálidda, which has recovered over 2,200 artefacts during infrastructure projects in Lima.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Workers find 1,000-year-old mummy while installing pipes
Peruvian utility workers recently found a 1,000-year-old mummy while installing pipes in Lima, their company said, confirming the latest discovery of a pre-Hispanic tomb in the capital. The workers found the trunk of a huarango tree (a species native to coastal Peru), "which served as a tomb marker in the past," archaeologist Jesus Bahamonde, scientific coordinator of Calidda utility company, told reporters. The mummy of a boy aged between 10 and 15, was found at a depth of 20 inches, he added. "The burial and the objects correspond to a style that developed between 1000 and 1200," he said. The remains discovered on Monday were found "in a sitting position, with the arms and legs bent," according to Bahamonde. They were found in a shroud which also contained calabash gourds. Ceramic objects, including plates, bottles and jugs decorated with geometric figures and figures of fishermen, were found next to the mummy. The tomb and artifacts belong to the pre-Inca Chancay culture, which lived in the Lima area between the 11th and 15th centuries. They were discovered while gas workers were removing earth from an avenue in the Puente Piedra district of northern Lima. Jose Aliaga, an archaeologist with utility Cálidda, said the unearthed mummy still has dark brown hair. "We found remains and evidence that there could be a pre-Hispanic burial," Aliaga said. In Peru, utility companies must hire archaeologists when drilling the earth, because of the possibility of hitting upon heritage sites. Calidda has made more than 2,200 archaeological finds since 2004. Lima is home to over 500 archaeological sites, including dozens of "huacas" as ancient cemeteries are known in the Indigenous Quechua language. "It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals," said Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru. Van Dalen, who is not involved in the discovery, said mummies on the Peruvian coast are usually found mummified naturally, generally in desert areas, with the skin dehydrated by the summer heat. He explained that other unearthed remains have been found to have undergone mummification procedures for cultural reasons and are usually discovered in a seated position with their hands covering their faces. In April, archaeologists in Peru announced they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, in an area which for decades was used as a garbage dump. Just days before that, researchers carrying out excavation work in southern Peru found an ancient tomb filled with the remains of two dozen people believed to be battle victims. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Kidney dialysis industry accused of maximizing profits over patients Pentagon officials reveal new details about U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites Netanyahu reacts to U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
The Sun
23-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Haunting 1,000-year-old mummy found ‘seated with bent arms' and brown hair still visible just INCHES below ground
GAS workers have discovered a 1,000-year-old mummy just a metre below the surface of the Earth during a routine pipe installation in Peru. The remains, believed to be a boy aged between 10 and 15-years-old, have been uncovered in surprisingly good condition, with some of his brown hair still intact. 6 6 6 The burial was formal, with the trunk of a native huarango tree found next to the bound remains serving "as a tomb marker in the past," according to archaeologist Jesus Bahamonde, a scientific coordinator of Calidda gas company. The ancient boy's remains were discovered "in a sitting position, with the arms and legs bent," according to Bahamonde. "The burial and the objects correspond to a style that developed between 1000 and 1200 [AD]," he added. The body was found just 1.2metres beneath the Earth in Lima, Peru's capital, while the wooden tomb marker was found just a depth of 50cm (20 inches). They were wrapped in a shroud, which contained calabash gourds - a vegetable that was not only eaten but etched with intricate art in ancient Peru. Calabash gourds are used for medicinal purposes in Peru, and throughout Bolivia and Ecuador today. Though it's unclear what the significance of the vegetable was at the time. Ceramic objects, including plates, bottles and jugs decorated with geometric figures and figures of fishermen, were also found next to the mummy. The mummy, found last week, belonged to a society of fishermen of the Chancay culture, which flourished between 1,000 and 1,470 AD, according to Jesús Bahamonde, director of the archaeological monitoring plan of metropolitan Lima at Cálidda. Despite not being covered by much ground, the mummy had gone unnoticed for a millennia - even with all of the urban development in the area. Lima, a city home to 10million people, housed human civilisations for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in Peru in 1535. As a result, there are more than 500 archaeological sites sprawled across the coastal city, including dozens of ancient cemeteries. In Peru, utility companies must hire archaeologists when drilling because of the possibility of stumbling upon ancient treasures and heritage sites. "It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals," Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru, told the Associated Press. The desert heat dehydrates the bodies, naturally mummifying the bodies and leaving them fairly well preserved, according to Van Dalen, who was not involved in the discovery. 6 6 6
CBS News
23-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Utility workers discover 1,000-year-old mummy of a child while installing pipes in Peru
Peruvian utility workers recently found a 1,000-year-old mummy while installing pipes in Lima, their company said, confirming the latest discovery of a pre-Hispanic tomb in the capital. The workers found the trunk of a huarango tree (a species native to coastal Peru), "which served as a tomb marker in the past," archaeologist Jesus Bahamonde, scientific coordinator of Calidda utility company, told reporters. The mummy of a boy aged between 10 and 15, was found at a depth of 20 inches, he added. "The burial and the objects correspond to a style that developed between 1000 and 1200," he said. The remains discovered on Monday were found "in a sitting position, with the arms and legs bent," according to Bahamonde. Experts work around the remains of a pre-Hispanic burial that was found during an excavation to install a gas pipeline in Lima on June 19, 2025. ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images They were found in a shroud which also contained calabash gourds. Ceramic objects, including plates, bottles and jugs decorated with geometric figures and figures of fishermen, were found next to the mummy. The tomb and artifacts belong to the pre-Inca Chancay culture, which lived in the Lima area between the 11th and 15th centuries. They were discovered while gas workers were removing earth from an avenue in the Puente Piedra district of northern Lima. Jose Aliaga, an archaeologist with utility Cálidda, said the unearthed mummy still has dark brown hair. "We found remains and evidence that there could be a pre-Hispanic burial," Aliaga said. An expert holds a piece while working around the remains of a pre-Hispanic burial that was found during an excavation to install a gas pipeline in Lima on June 19, 2025. ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images In Peru, utility companies must hire archaeologists when drilling the earth, because of the possibility of hitting upon heritage sites. Calidda has made more than 2,200 archaeological finds since 2004. Lima is home to over 500 archaeological sites, including dozens of "huacas" as ancient cemeteries are known in the Indigenous Quechua language. "It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals," said Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru. Van Dalen, who is not involved in the discovery, said mummies on the Peruvian coast are usually found mummified naturally, generally in desert areas, with the skin dehydrated by the summer heat. He explained that other unearthed remains have been found to have undergone mummification procedures for cultural reasons and are usually discovered in a seated position with their hands covering their faces. In April, archaeologists in Peru announced they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, in an area which for decades was used as a garbage dump. Just days before that, researchers carrying out excavation work in southern Peru found an ancient tomb filled with the remains of two dozen people believed to be battle victims. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Peru gas workers find thousand-year-old mummy
Peruvian gas workers this week found a thousand-year-old mummy while installing pipes in Lima, their company said, confirming the latest discovery of a pre-Hispanic tomb in the capital. The workers found the trunk of a huarango tree (a species native to coastal Peru), "which served as a tomb marker in the past," at a depth of 50 centimeters (20 inches), archaeologist Jesus Bahamonde, scientific coordinator of Calidda gas company, told reporters. The mummy of a boy aged between 10 and 15, was found at a depth of 1.2 meters, he added. "The burial and the objects correspond to a style that developed between 1000 and 1200," he said. The remains discovered on Monday were found "in a sitting position, with the arms and legs bent," according to Bahamonde. They were found in a shroud which also contained calabash gourds. Ceramic objects, including plates, bottles and jugs decorated with geometric figures and figures of fishermen, were found next to the mummy. The tomb and artifacts belong to the pre-Inca Chancay culture, which lived in the Lima area between the 11th and 15th centuries. They were discovered while gas workers were removing earth from an avenue in the Puente Piedra district of northern Lima. In Peru, utility companies must hire archaeologists when drilling the earth, because of the possibility of hitting upon heritage sites. Calidda has made more than 2,200 archaeological finds since 2004. Lima is home to over 500 archaeological sites, including dozens of "huacas" as ancient cemeteries are known in the Indigenous Quechua language. ljc/sf/cb/sla
