Peruvian archaeologists find remains of children and adults sacrificed 1,200 years ago | Abroad

Archaeologists from Peru on Tuesday exhumed the remains of 20 people, including eight children, who were said to have been sacrificed about 800 to 1,200 years ago. The bodies were discovered in Cajamarquilla, east of Peru’s capital Lima.




The remains, some skeletons and others mummified, were found in several layers of textiles. Presumably they were part of a ritual and were sacrificed to accompany the main mummy, archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen told a press conference. “For the people who lived there then, death was not the end but rather a transition to a parallel world where the dead lived,” said Van Dalen. “They believed that the souls of the dead became protectors of the living.”

In November 2021, the team at the Peruvian San Marcos University already discovered a mummy in a fetal position. The twenty bodies now found were located just outside the underground tomb where the suspected “head mummy” was found. It would be a well-known burial pattern of the Incas, according to Van Dalen. It is somewhat reminiscent of the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, a ruler of some 700 years ago. His mummified body was discovered along with several children and adults who had been sacrificed to be buried with him.

“We believe that this also happened in the case of the head mummy in Cajamarquilla, who was probably buried with the other people,” says Van Dalen. “Evidence of violence has also been found on some individuals, which was part of the ritual.”

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Archaeologists discovered a total of 20 human bodies believed to have been sacrificed 800 to 1,200 years ago in Peru © AFP

Archaeologists discovered a total of 20 human bodies believed to have been sacrificed 800 to 1,200 years ago in Peru
Archaeologists discovered a total of 20 human bodies believed to have been sacrificed 800 to 1,200 years ago in Peru © REUTERS

A zampoña, a wind instrument with several wooden pipes in the shape of flutes that used to be used in the Andes
A zampoña, a wind instrument with several wooden pipes in the shape of flutes that used to be used in the Andes © AFP

Also found wind instrument

According to Yomira Huamán, one of the archaeologists who contributed to this find, musical artifacts were also found. This is how a zampoña would have been found. This is a wind instrument with different wooden pipes in the shape of flutes that was used in the Andes in the past.

“Our research suggests that Cajamarquilla’s mummy must have been a man about 35 years old. This figure had no organs, meaning he was eviscerated after his death,” Huamán said.

In Peru, archaeological discoveries are more often made of cultures that developed before and after the Inca Empire. The Incas dominated the southern part of the continent 500 years ago.

A striking find was also made in Jordan. There, a 9,000-year-old hunting camp from the Neolithic era was discovered.


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