Mummies of sacrificed children

It was a grisly, though historic, find. It was made by Peruvian archaeologists. They found six pre-Inca mummies of infants, between 1,000 and 1,200 years old. They were in the urban mud complex of Cajamarquilla, on the outskirts of Lima. Everything indicates that they were buried in a sacrifice next to an important social personage. The mummies of sacrificed children are an archaeological event.

The mummies of sacrificed children in Peru are from pre-Hispanic times.
Mummies of children sacrificed in Peru are from pre-Hispanic time.

Other mummies

Archaeologist Pieter Van Dalen is responsible for the Cajamarquilla project. He was in charge of announcing the discovery “The remains of six children have been found wrapped in funerary bundles. They were near the tomb of an elite personage (of the time).”. The mummy had already been found last November, he told AFP on Sunday.

Van Dalen offered a theory to explain the mummies of sacrificed children. He said it could have been to accompany the mummy on the way to the world of the dead. Perhaps they were close relatives “The antiquity of these mummies would be between 800 to 1000 AD.”he said. Bone remains of auquenids, such as llamas, were also found at the site.

Already in November, the mummy of who is presumed to be an important person was found. It is the so-called ‘lord of Cajamarquilla’. It was near the burial chamber about three meters long and at a depth of 1.40 meters.

The findings were made in Cajamarquilla, near Lima.
The finds were made at Cajamarquilla, near Lima.

Ancient city

Cajamarquilla is considered a pre-Hispanic mud city. It could have had a population of between 10,000 and 20,000 people in some 167 hectares. “It was an urban center with administrative, domestic and residential sectors,” Van Dalen added.

It was built around 200 BC and was occupied until 1500. The city is located 24 km east of Lima. It is one of the largest archaeological complexes of the Peruvian capital. The present metropolis today has 10 million inhabitants.

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