1000-year-old mummies found in Peru

Peruvian archaeologists have unearthed four perfectly preserved mummies at an ancient burial site in the capital city, Lima. The mummies are more than 1000 years old and were found at the Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca temple located in the heart of Lima's Miraflores district.

Due to its central location, tomb looters have been stealing all sorts of archaeological treasures from the temple for centuries. So for Peruvian archaeologist, Gladys Paz, it was a pleasant surprise when she found a tomb with a perfectly preserved roof.

Inside were four mummies - a main figure and three smaller ones which had lain there untouched for more than 11 centuries, according to ndtv.com. Paz says the four mummies must now undergo numerous tests to determine their sex, age and the way they died.

Pieces of rich clothing, ceramics and other things including an ancient knitting kit were also found at the tomb. Work has been on at this site for more than five years during which archaeologists have excavated 62 tombs, all of them previously looted.

The Wari who lived from 700AD to 1000 AD were warriors who moved from the mountains towards the Peruvian coast eventually conquering most of Peru including what is now Lima.

The Pucllana temple was their main burial site - used only for their elite. After they were conquered by the Incas, the site was never reused.

Moche elites linked to copper industry lived on high, experts say

Archaeologists working at the Huaca Colorada site in northern Peru have found "odd" signs of life in a half-excavated pyramid of the Moche culture.

"Often these pyramidal mounds were built as mortuaries more than anything else," said excavation co-leader Edward Swenson, according to a National Geographic article published Thursday.

"In most instances [a pyramid] is not where people live, it is not where they were cooking their food," the University of Toronto archaeologist added.

But the newly exposed 1,400-year-old flat-topped pyramid supported residences for up to a couple dozen elites, who oversaw and perhaps took part in copper production at the site, evidence suggests.

The pre-Inca pyramid dwellers likely presided over important rituals, feasted on roasted llama and guinea pig, and drank corn beer, according to archaeologists working at the site.

Among the signs of occupation are at least 19 adobe stands where large vessels of water and corn beer were stored, as well as scattered llama, dog, guinea pig, and fish bones and traces of coca leaves and red peppers.

"There's a far more robust domestic occupation than what we would have expected," said expedition co-leader John Warner, an archaeologist with the University of Kentucky.

More information:

• Tours to Route Moche

Odd Pyramid Had Rooftop Homes, Ritual Sacrifices?

At rare Peru site, elites linked to copper industry lived on high, experts say.

John Roach

for National Geographic News

Published October 21, 2010

Yes, it's yielded human remains—including five females who may have been ritually sacrificed. But it's the signs of life that make a half-excavated Peruvian pyramid of the Moche culture stand out, archaeologists say.

"Often these pyramidal mounds were built as mortuaries more than anything else," said excavation co-leader Edward Swenson. (See pictures from the tomb of the Moche "king of bling.")

"In most instances [a pyramid] is not where people live, it is not where they were cooking their food," the University of Toronto archaeologist added.

But the newly exposed 1,400-year-old flat-topped pyramid supported residences for up to a couple dozen elites, who oversaw and perhaps took part in copper production at the site, evidence suggests.

The pre-Inca pyramid dwellers likely presided over important rituals, feasted on roasted llama and guinea pig, and drank corn beer, according to archaeologists working at the site.

Among the signs of occupation are at least 19 adobe stands where large vessels of water and corn beer were stored, as well as scattered llama, dog, guinea pig, and fish bones and traces of coca leaves and red peppers.

"There's a far more robust domestic occupation than what we would have expected," said expedition co-leader John Warner, an archaeologist with the University of Kentucky.

Pyramid Emerges

Thriving along Peru's arid northern coast from about A.D. 100 to 800, the Moche culture was composed of independently governed agricultural societies. These groups shared a common religion and a knack for irrigation systems, intricate ceramics, and metallurgy.

In August 2009 Swenson and colleagues began excavating a long mound at the roughly 60-acre (24-hectare) Huaca Colorada site in the Lamayaeque region's southern Jequetepeque Valley. The settlement dates to the Late Moche period, about A.D. 500 to 800.

During the first month of the dig, the team uncovered the mud-brick pyramid within the mound as well as the residences. Later digging turned up evidence of human sacrifice on a rooftop platform: detached body parts and the corpses of five young women, all with signs of ritual burning and one with a rope around her neck.

More info about Article of National Geographic

Other info about Northers Kingdoms