1,000-year-old pre-Inca mummy discovered just half a metre below a street in Lima

Published on
24/06/2025 – 8:14 GMT+2

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The remains, identified as a woman aged 20 to 30, were wrapped in a bundle that still had visible dark brown hair.

Alongside the body, archaeologists found nine ceramic vessels, including a painted bottle depicting a fisherman in a headdress – suggesting the woman belonged to the Chancay culture, a coastal fishing society that thrived between 1000 and 1470 AD.

The discovery is part of an ongoing archaeological monitoring program by the national gas company Cálidda, which has recovered over 2,200 artefacts during infrastructure projects in Lima.

Video editor • Theo Farrant