Main Content
-
High-Level Mummies
Photograph by Cris Bouroncle, AFP/Getty Images
A rare undisturbed tomb atop an ancient pyramid in Lima, Peru, has yielded four 1,150-year-old, well-bundled mummies of the Wari culture, archaeologists announced on October 20.
The mummies include what appear to be an elite woman and three children, who may have been sacrificed to accompany her into the afterlife, according to Isabel Flores Espinosa, excavation director at the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site.
The Wari civilization spread along the central coast of Peru beginning around A.D. 700. At Huaca Pucllana, they replaced the Lima culture before being replaced themselves by the ascendant Inca.
(Learn about an ancient Wari brewery.)
—John Roach
Published October 25, 2010
-
Mask of the Mummy
Photograph by Cris Bouroncle, AFP/Getty Images
Wrapped in layers of fabric and vegetation, mummies of an apparently elite Wari woman and a likely child sacrifice are exposed in Lima's mud-brick Huaca Pucllana pyramid on October 20.
Though the mummy bundles' fake heads—made of cloth or carved from wood—appear well preserved, "the state of the bodies inside might be only bones or partially dried-out bodies," Espinosa said in an email translated from Spanish.
(Also see pictures of a Roman-style mummy and tombs recently found in Egypt.)
Published October 25, 2010
-
Fabric of Time
Photograph by Cris Bouroncle, AFP/Getty Images
A worker cleans the false head atop a child's mummy bundle in Huaca Pucllana pyramid on October 20.
Around the principal mummy—thought to have been an individual of high social rank—archaeologists found sacks of fabric and needles, suggesting the bundle holds a woman, Espinosa said.
Wari tombs have been found at Huaca Pucllana before, but the new discovery is the first known intact Wari tomb at the site. It was sealed by a roof of branches, cattails, and adobe bricks.
"This discovery will allow us to know the exact manner of an elite Wari funeral," Espinosa said.
(Find out why experts think some prehistoric Chilean mummies were poisoned.)
Published October 25, 2010
-
Awaiting Unbundling
Photograph by Enrique Castro-Mendivil, Reuters
Atop Lima's Huaca Pucllana pyramid, archaeologists found 11 drinking vessels, a ceramic bowl, and six cloth bags, in addition to the new Wari mummies. Some of the bags contained corn or sewing tools.
The condition of the mummies is currently unknown. The archaeologists plan to x-ray the bundles and then open them up for anthropological analyses.
(Pictures: Frozen Inca Mummy Goes on Display.)
Published October 25, 2010
-
Pyramid Looming Over Lima
Photograph by Enrique Castro-Mendivil, Reuters
Excavation work continues at the pyramid at the center of the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site in the Peruvian capital. Prior to occupation by the Wari, the eight-story-tall monument was a ceremonial center for the Lima culture, for which the surrounding city is named.
In addition to the undisturbed tomb containing the mummies, archaeologists have discovered 61 other Wari mummy bundles at the site, though each had been subject to looting. The newfound, undisturbed crypt should allow a reconstruction of the entire Wari funerary complex believed to exist here, Espinosa said.
(See pictures of ancient Egyptian animal mummies.)
Published October 25, 2010
Latest News
News Video
Most Popular Stories
-
Moon Water Linked to Silver?
The moon's south pole hosts unexpected amounts of silver and mercury, which may help reveal the origins of lunar water.
-
Oldest Human in China Found?
A fossil jawbone with a strong chin is upsetting notions of when our ancestors migrated out of Africa, a new study says.
-
Photos: Mummies Found on Pyramid
Wearing a false head, a bundled mummy—and three child sacrifices—emerge from an urban pyramid in Peru.
Advertisement
News Blogs
-
Living Walls Save Lions
A successful new project is using a chain-link fencing and fast-growing trees to create special enclosures that keep cattle safe from lions, and lions out of the way of Maasai spears.
-
Asteroid to Cause Sunburn?
A new model shows how an ocean impact would drastically alter the atmosphere, leading to dangerous levels of ozone depletion.
-
Dam Removals Restore Habitats
As dams come down around the world, opportunities are opened to restore habitats and cultural sites sacred to indigenous peoples.
Gulf Oil Spill News and Pictures
-
Did Gulf Spill Boost "Dead Zone"?
Did the BP oil spill sap oxygen from the Gulf of Mexico? Scientists are weighing new findings against years of "dead zone" data.
-
Gulf Manta Rays Affected by Oil Spill?
The little-studied Gulf of Mexico's manta rays could be their own species—and victims of the oil spill, scientists say.
Got Something to Share?
Shop National Geographic
Buy 2 or more DVDs and save 20%
Special Ad Section
-
View Entries
Over 14,000 photographs were submitted to the contest. See a selection of entries!
-
Watch Video
Watch Casey Anderson with his lovable best friend Brutus, the 800-pound bear he raised from birth.
