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Yomiuri Shimbun
7 days ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Utility Workers in Peru Unearth Pre-Incan Tomb with 1,000-year-old Remains
LIMA (AP) — Utility workers excavating trenches to expand underground gas networks in Peru's capital unearthed two pre-Incan tombs on July 31. One was empty, but the other held the 1,000-year-old remains of an individual, alongside four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artifacts. This isn't the first time Calidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima, has found archaeological remains. Over more than two decades of excavation work to expand the underground network, the company says it has made more than 2,200 discoveries. According to archaeologist Jose Aliaga, the vessels' iconography and their black, white and red colors 'allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture, which is approximately 1,000 to 1,470 years old.' Aliaga told The Associated Press that the individual was found wrapped in a torn bundle, in a sitting position with his legs against his chest, and his team will continue cleaning the remains. 'Lima is unique among Latin American capitals,' Aliaga said, 'in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project.' The Peruvian capital, a city of 10 million people, has more than 400 archaeological sites from the Inca era, the 15th century, or earlier, from the pre-Inca period, according to the Ministry of Culture. On the same day, passersby stopped in their tracks to observe the burial site, even taking out their cellphones to take a picture. 'I always thought they were paths where no one had lived,' said Flor Prieto, who was walking with her 7-year-old daughter. 'But now I know that people older than the Incas have lived there … it feels so exciting.' 'It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials and, among these, mummified individuals,' said Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru. Van Dalen was not involved in the July 31 discovery.
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gas Line Workers in Peru Stumble Upon 1,000-Year-Old Pre-Incan Tomb in Lima
Key Takeaways: Utility workers in Lima accidentally unearthed two pre-Incan tombs, one of which contained 1,000-year-old human remains and Chancay culture artifacts. Archaeologist José Aliaga confirmed the tomb's connection to the ancient Chancay culture, citing the vessels' distinctive black, white, and red iconography. The burial posture, with the individual seated and bundled in fabric, reflects typical pre-Incan funerary traditions, dating between 1000 and 1470 A.D. Cálidda, the gas company overseeing the project, has documented over 2,200 archaeological discoveries during its infrastructure expansions, highlighting Lima's unique archaeological richness. Experts emphasize that Peru's coastal regions frequently reveal funerary artifacts, including tombs, burials, and mummified individuals, making such discoveries a recurring phenomenon. Utility workers digging trenches for new gas lines in Lima made a stunning discovery on Thursday: two pre-Incan tombs, including one containing human remains believed to be around 1,000 years old. Alongside the skeletal remains were four clay vessels decorated in black, white, and red, as well as three pumpkin shell artifacts. Construction Turns Into an Archaeological Discovery in Lima AP News reported that archaeologist José Aliaga identified the tomb as belonging to the ancient Chancay culture, which thrived in Peru between 1000 and 1470 A.D. The individual was found in a seated position, bundled in fabric, legs tucked against the chest — a burial posture typical of pre-Incan traditions. 'The vessels' iconography and colors allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture,' Aliaga explained. Lima: A City Built on Layers of History For Lima, discoveries like this are becoming routine. According to Cálidda, the gas company overseeing the trench work, this is just one of more than 2,200 archaeological finds they've made during two decades of infrastructure expansion. 'Lima is unique among Latin American capitals in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project,' Aliaga said. With a population of 10 million, Lima sits atop more than 400 known archaeological sites, many of them predating the Inca Empire by centuries. From ancient burial grounds to ceremonial ruins, the city's layered history continues to reveal itself in unexpected ways. An Everyday Errand Turns Into a History Lesson For locals, the discovery offered an eye-opening moment. Passersby stopped to snap photos of the excavation site. Flor Prieto, who was walking with her daughter, expressed her surprise: 'I always thought they were paths where no one had lived. But now I know that people older than the Incas lived there. It feels so exciting.' Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru, noted that Lima's coast frequently yields funerary elements such as tombs and mummified remains. While not involved in this specific dig, he emphasized how common such finds are across the Line Workers in Peru Stumble Upon 1,000-Year-Old Pre-Incan Tomb in Lima first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 1, 2025
CBS News
01-08-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pre-Incan tomb with 1,000-year-old remains unearthed in Peru
Utility workers excavating trenches to expand an underground gas network in the capital of Peru unearthed two pre-Incan tombs on Thursday that are more than 1,000 years old. One of the tombs was empty while the other held the 1,000-year-old remains of an individual alongside four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artifacts. According to archaeologist José Aliaga, the vessels' iconography and their black, white, and red colors "allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture,' which is approximately 1,000 to 1,470 years old." Aliaga told The Associated Press that the individual was found wrapped in a torn bundle, in a sitting position with his legs against his chest, and his team will continue cleaning the remains. "Lima is unique among Latin American capitals," Aliaga said, "in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project." The Peruvian capital of Lima, a city of more than 10 million people, has more than 400 archeological sites from the Inca era, the 15th century, or earlier, from the pre-Inca period, according to the Ministry of Culture. Astonishingly, Thursday's discovery was not the first time Cálidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima, has found archeological remains. Over more than two decades of excavation work to expand the underground network, the company says it has made more than 2,200 discoveries. Last month, utility workers found a 1,000-year-old mummy of a child aged between 10 and 15 while installing pipes. Archeologist Jesus Bahamonde told reporters at the time that the workers found the trunk of a huarango tree, "which served as a tomb marker in the past." In April, archaeologists in Peru announced they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, in an area that for decades was used as a garbage dump. Just days before that, researchers carrying out excavation work in southern Peru found an ancient tomb filled with the remains of two dozen people believed to be battle victims. "It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals," said Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru. Van Dalen was not involved in Thursday's discovery. On Thursday, passersby stopped in their tracks to observe the burial site, even taking out their cellphones to take a picture. "I always thought they were paths where no one had lived," said Flor Prieto, who was walking with her 7-year-old daughter. "But now I know that people older than the Incas have lived there…it feels so exciting."
Daily Mail
01-08-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Baffled construction workers discover a 1,000-year-old Peruvian mummy in a hidden tomb beneath the capital
Construction workers have been baffled to discover an ancient mummy buried in a hidden tomb beneath the streets of Peru's capital, Lima. While expanding the city's gas network, utility workers accidentally unearthed two previously undiscovered tombs. One of the burial structures was empty, but the other contained the remains of an individual believed to be over 1,000 years old. Archaeologists say that this individual may come from a civilisation which predates the Incan Empire, which ruled over Peru until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. The solitary figure was found wrapped in a torn bundle in a sitting position, with their legs tightly pressed against their chest. The archaeologists continue to clean the remains, but, for now, the identity of this Peruvian mummy remains a mystery. Alongside the individual, archaeologists also found four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artefacts. Archaeologist José Aliaga told Reuters: 'The material evidence suggests that it could be a burial of the Chancay culture, from approximately 1,000 to 1,200 years ago.' Prior to the rise of the mighty Incan Empire, the part of Peru which makes up modern-day Lima was home to the Chancay people. The Chancay were a relatively small regional power that existed between 1,000 and 1,470 years ago. Most of what we know about the Chancay comes from their distinctive pottery, which often included drinking vessels with human faces or small dolls placed in tombs. One of these anthropomorphic vessels was found in the tomb alongside the remains of the unknown mummy. Mr Aliaga says that the presence of such rich pottery in this tomb likely points to the existence of a larger burial complex. 'We are probably over a pre-Hispanic cemetery, as we found another burial just around the corner from here,' Mr Aliaga said. This discovery was particularly unusual since it was found directly below a busy city street, just 6.6 feet (two metres) from a resident's front gate. However, this is far from the first time that archaeological sites have been discovered beneath Lima. The project's lead archaeologist says this is likely part of a larger burial complex hidden beneath the city The Cajamarquilla archaeological site Cajamarquilla is an archaeological site some 16 miles from the coast of Lima. It was first settled by the Huari around 400–600 AD, but went on to be appropriated by later peoples including both the Ychma and Inca. The city sports blocks of mud–brick housing and pyramids that are thought to have been built for Huari warriors. Sadly, the site has been poorly treated despite official recognition — with a quarter having been destroyed and the rest threatened by urban spread. The first inhabitants to settle around Lima were the fishermen and hunters who developed agriculture in the region around 10,000 years ago. This means the city is densely packed with the remains of pre-Incan, Inca, and Spanish settlements. Archaeological sites are so common that most construction companies working underground hire archaeologists. Cálidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima and found these remains, says it has already made more than 2,200 discoveries. Mr Aliaga says: 'Lima is unique among Latin American capitals in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project.' Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru, who was not involved in the discovery, says: 'It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals.' At the dig site of Cajamarquilla, a site just east of Lima, archaeologists have discovered many mummies - including several which could have been victims of human sacrifice. Researchers found six mummified children found in a grave, believed to have been sacrificed to accompany a dead nobleman to the afterlife 1,200 years ago. The mummified children were uncovered in the grave of an important man — possibly a political figure — who was aged between 35 and 40 at the time of his death The tiny skeletons, wrapped tightly in cloth, were found in the grave of an important man — possibly a political figure — believed to have been aged between 35 and 40 at the time of his death. Archaeologists say that the pre-Inca civilisations did not see death as the end but, rather, a transition to a different stage. The souls of the dead were believed to become protectors, so these children may have been killed to accompany the nobleman into the afterlife. The perceived nobleman was entombed in the foetal position with his hands covering his face, and tied up with a rope. At the same site, archaeologists also found another mummy which had been completely bound in the same manner. According to the researchers, the mummy dates back 1,200-800 years and belonged to the pre-Inca civilisation that developed between the Peruvian coast and mountains. Archaeologists believe that this unusual arrangement may have been part of a unique local funeral tradition. Child sacrifice seems to have been a relatively common occurrence in the cultures of ancient Peru, including the pre-Incan Sican, or Lambayeque culture and the Chimu people who followed them, as well as the Inca themselves. Among the finds revealing this ritual behaviour are the mummified remains of a child's body, discovered in 1985 by a group of mountaineers. The remains were uncovered at around 17,388ft (5,300 metres) on the southwestern ridge of Cerro Aconcagua mountain in the Argentinean province of Mendoza. The boy is thought to have been a victim of an Inca ritual called capacocha, where children of great beauty and health were sacrificed by drugging them and taking them into the mountains to freeze to death. Ruins of a sanctuary used by the Inca to sacrifice children to their gods was discovered by archaeologists in at a coastal ruin complex in Peru in 2016. Experts digging at Chotuna-Chornancap, in north Lima, discovered 17 graves dating to at least the 15th century. This included the graves of six children placed side by side in pairs of shallow graves. Capacocha was a ritual that most often took place upon the death of an Inca king. The local lords were required to select unblemished children representing the ideal of human perfection. Children were married and presented with sets of miniature human and llama figurines in gold, silver, copper and shell. The male figures have elongated earlobes and a braided headband and the female figurines wore their hair in plaits. The children were then returned to their original communities, where they were honoured before being sacrificed to the mountain gods on the Llullaillaco Volcano. The phrase Capacocha has been translated to mean 'solemn sacrifice' or 'royal obligation.' The rationale for this type of sacrificial rite has typically been understood as commemorating important life events of the Incan emperor, to send them to be with the deities upon their death, to stop natural disasters, to encourage crop growth or for religious ceremonies.
The Standard
01-08-2025
- General
- The Standard
Utility workers in Peru unearth pre-Incan tomb with 1,000-year-old remains
Archaeologist Jose Aliaga works at the site where city workers discovered ancient remains, from the pre-Inca Chancay culture, and artifacts as workers were digging a natural gas line for the company Calidda in the district of Puente Piedra on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
