A 1,000-year-old mummy with a head full of hair and an intact jaw was found in Peru

A team of archaeologists has unearthed a roughly 1,000-year-old mummy with well-preserved brown hair in Lima, the capital of Peru. The mummy was found along with preserved textiles, ceramic vases and other objects at the Huaca Pucllana monument, an 82-foot-tall clay pyramid with an archaeological site hidden inside a suspected tomb ceremony.

“This is an adult individual in a sitting position with bent legs,” head archaeologist Mirella Ganoza told Reuters. Ganoza noted that the mummy’s long hair and jaw were both nearly completely intact, but the sex of the individual is still unknown. 

Archaeologists have found other ancient mummies and offerings at the Huaca Pucllana site. But according to the research team, there is still much to discover. Lima itself is home to around 400 sacred sites, with many archaeological remains and mummies. The findings over the years have been used to analyze the cultural, health and social conditions of indigenous Peruvians. In April, another 1,000-year-old mummy was discovered about 15 miles from Lima, at the Cajamarquilla archaeological site.These remains are believed to be those of a teenager and some of the corpse’s skin is still distinguishable. He was found burning with at least 20 other individuals believed to be victims of human sacrifice.

Long before the Incas built their royal mountaintop refuge, Machu Picchu, or before Spanish colonists arrived around 1527, Peru was home to several pre-Hispanic cultures The clan prospered, including the Ychsma people. Huaca Pucllana was built by Ychsma around 500 CE and is the center of the present-day Miraflores district of Lima. It is believed that Ychsma used it as a cemetery.The Ychsma people are believed to have built at least 16 pyramids, some of which are about 4,000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. Irrigation specialists dominated the central coast of Peru until it was absorbed by the Inca Empire around 1468. The mummy itself is dated to around 1000 CE.

“I find it quite interesting that right in the heart of Miraflores, in the middle of the city, surrounded by modern buildings and constructions, an important site is still preserved, the Huaca Pucllana ceremonial center,” Ganoza told Reuters.

Earlier this year, researchers discovered a similar mummy believed to be close to 3,000 years old in Lima. This mummy’s skull also had intact hair that was found inside of a cotton bundle before the rest of the remains were uncovered.  That mummy is believed to be from the Manchay culture, which developed between 1500 and 1000 BC in Lima’s valleys. The Manchay are associated with the construction of temples built in a U-shape that pointed toward the sunrise, according to Reuters.