Ancient Peruvian Mummy, 3,000 Years Old, Found as Human Sacrifice.

Archeologists in Peru made an exciting announcement on Wednesday – they have uncovered a 3,000-year-old mummy that was used as a human sacrifice.

This incredible find was initially made by students from San Marcos University, a college in Peru’s capital, Lima. They stumbled upon a cotton bundle containing the hair and skull of the person, and upon further excavation, they discovered the rest of the mummy.

According to Reuters, the mummy is a male and was found in Lima. Experts believe it belonged to the Manchay culture, which thrived in the Lima valleys between 1500 and 1000 BC. The Manchay culture is known for its U-shaped temples on the central coast of Peru, as stated in a report by DePaul University Department of Anthropology.

Archeologist Michael Aguilar told Reuters that the mummy was likely left or offered as a sacrifice during the final phase of the temple’s construction. It is estimated to be around 3,000 years old.

The archeologists were digging at a landfill site, having removed over eight tons of trash before their search. The mummy was found lying flat, which aligns with the burial practices of the Manchay culture in that era. It was wrapped in cloth made from vegetable fiber and cotton.

In addition to the mummy, the archeologists discovered seeds, corn, and coca leaves buried alongside it, indicating that these items were part of the sacrificial offering. Coca, which is the raw material for cocaine, has a long history in Peruvian culture and was used in daily life and sacred rituals, according to JSTOR Daily.

The anthropology report explains that the U-shaped temples consisted of three mounds in the shape of a U, with a main pyramid and two side mounds. The larger side would typically be connected to the main pyramid, and these temples faced towards the sunrise, as noted by Reuters.

Interestingly, the Chinchorros, a group of people who lived in present-day Peru and Chile, were the first to practice mummification thousands of years before the Egyptians, according to the American Museum of Natural History. Mummification was common in Peru before the arrival of the Spanish and was practiced by various cultures over 6,000 years ago.

This recent discovery adds to a year of significant archaeological findings in Peru. In April, an adolescent mummy approximately 1,000 years old was discovered just outside Lima. A month earlier, a man was detained for carrying a mummy in his delivery bag, claiming it was his “spiritual girlfriend.” In February, six mummified children were discovered in a tomb near Lima, estimated to be around 1,000 to 1,200 years old.