Peru The mummies were wrapped in cloth and rope, and some wore wooden and ceramic masks called "false heads".
A mummy wearing a carved mask. Photo: PUCP Archaeology Program Valley of Pachacamac
Archaeologists have unearthed the graves of at least 73 people who lived about 1,000 years ago, hundreds of years before the Incas took over much of western South America, Live Science reported on November 28. The 73 mummies were wrapped in cloth, some in colorful fabrics, and rope. Some wore masks made of wood and ceramic, called “head masks,” said Krzysztof Makowski, the leader of the excavation team and an archaeologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. The team also found colorful ceramics in several of the graves.
The newly discovered mummies were found at the Wari archaeological site of Pachacamac, near the Peruvian capital of Lima. They were buried near the Painted Temple around 800-1100 AD, when the Wari empire was expanding in the area.
The Wari are famous for their well-preserved mummies and elaborate art, including intricately designed pottery and textiles. They also practiced human sacrifice and used hallucinogens in religious ceremonies.
In addition to the 73 mummies, archaeologists found two wooden staffs in the ruins of a nearby settlement. They were surrounded by a bed of thorny oyster shells ( Spondylus princeps ) imported from what is now Ecuador, north of the Wari empire. Each staff had intricate carvings.
Experts are still excavating at Pachacamac and analyzing the mummy. In the Quechean language, spoken by the indigenous people of the Andes, Pachacamac means “he who gives life to the Earth.” Archaeological research shows that Pachacamac was a relatively modest settlement during the Wari period but flourished during the Inca period. It became an important religious site in the 15th century.
Thu Thao (According to Live Science )
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