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Top | 17 May, 2006 [ 11:44 ]

Woman Mummy Discovered

Archaeologists, from the Augusto N. Wiese foundation led by Régulo Franco Jordán, have discovered the mummified remains of a female Moche ruler that dates back approximately 1,700 years. The discovery was made in the Huaca de Cao in the Northern Peruvian department of La Libertad. This is on my the most significant finds since the discovery of Sr. de Sipán.

The remains of this powerful woman were discovered in excellent condition. With the remains in near perfect condition observers were able to see a large number of tattoos of serpents and spiders that reinforced the mystical character of this person. For the discoverer of the site the fact that she had tattoos of these figures provides further evidence that she was a shaman of had some type of divine powers. In the ancient Andean cultures these animals were associated with the fertility of the land. The clothing of this Señora de Cao, as she is being called, was made of gold and silver. Various other adornments were found with her such as crowns, necklaces and earrings that demonstrated the power that this woman had.

The state of preservation of the body is so impressive that it is being compared to the mummy that was found on Ampato in Arequipa. For the archaeologists there are two factors for why the body was in such good conditions. One being the tomb was in the intermediate level of the Huaca de Cao. Being at a lower level the mummy was spared the damaging effects of the humidity and rain. The second being the use of a mineral called cinnabar, which functioned as a mild poison and repellent that kept bacteria away from the body.

Investigations are still being conducted as to the cause of her death, which occurred when she was between 20-25 years old. They are speculating that it might have something to do with the fact that she was pregnant during the time of her death.

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1 Comment

# karyna says :
22 August, 2007 [ 21:46 ]

Very amazing but yet very sad at the same time as she was only in her early 20's when she died & was carrying a child.

I wonder what really happened.

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