Archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved mummy of at least 800 years in Cajamarquilla about 15 miles east of Lima in Peru. The mummy was buried with its hands covering its face and tied with rope, like a form of funeral custom in the Peruvian south.
Archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen, who managed the project team, says that the observation is "peculiar and unique." A discovery of this kind sheds new light on interactions and relationships in times preceding the Hispanics before the Spaniards invaded the region in the 16th century.
Although the gender of the mummy was not confirmed, Van Dalen Luna says he was probably a young man who died between 25 and 35 years old when his mummification.
Mummification is the process of preserving a dead body. This generally included the elimination of the humidity of a deceased body and the use of natural chemicals or preservatives, such as resin, to dry the flesh and organs.
Then, the skin is packed with reeds, dry plants, or organic properties. The embalmed corpse is covered in clay masks from head to toe and painted when dry.
Mummification was a generalized and honest tradition in the old world, an infusion of a deep religious meaning, which was often carried out by skilled specialists. Ordinary people were rarely mummified because the practice was expensive.
This practice is a way of worshiping the dead or expressing an important religious faith, in particular a belief in the beyond. The ancient Egyptians believed that when a person dies, his spiritual essence remains alive.
Therefore, the spirit travels beyond the physical realms to be judged by other supernatural beings. If the spirit is guilt-free, it moves on to join its ancestors. But before the deceased can begin this spiritual journey the body must remain whole.
For many decades, mummies have been featured in horror films and Gothic novels and were given in public imagination as belonging to mysterious religious rites. The oldest mummy in North America was about 1500 years old, and was found in Nevada.
According to Reuter's reports, archaeologists plan to use Radio cabbage meetings to obtain a "more precise chronology" of the life of the individual.
Peru is a home to hundreds of archaeological sites of various cultures that have developed before and after the Inca-Empire. Since the discovery of the mummy in Lima, 20 more mummies have been found in the region which may be victims of ritual sacrifices.
Archaeologists now believe that people use artificial mummification to transform their relatives to become representatives of the community, ambassadors of the natural world who brought prosperity to their descendants and their resources.
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