Lima, Peru – The recent discovery of a mummy in an erstwhile Indian ceremonial center in the heart of this capital enhances the fabulous archeological legacy of Lima despite the city’s chaotic development and sprawl.
The desiccated remains were found in the Huaca Santa Cruz. The pyramid-like huacas, or “waqas,” take their name from a Quechua Indian word meaning “sacred” and were hubs of political, military and religious authority for Peru’s pre-Columbian cultures.
Numerous huacas have survived into the 21st century, even in the capital and other urban areas, but many of them are deteriorating due to the ravages of looters or to the presence of poor squatters who turn the ancient structures into makeshift homes.
It was in the course of a project to restore the Huaca Santa Cruz, located in Lima’s posh San Isidro district, that archeologists found buried under the stones of the main wall a body wrapped in a shroud bound with rope made from plant fiber.
The mummified body remains at the site while the scientists seek to determine its age, sex and ethnicity and to glean whatever else they can about the individual’s life and circumstances.
Though the archeologists found no artifacts with the body, they have not ruled out discovering objects or additional remains, Huallamarca Museum director Lyda Casas told EFE.
Pending further tests, the team estimates the body was laid to rest between 200 and 400 years ago, and Casas said the mummy certainly postdates the Itchma culture that took root in what is now Lima some 1,300 years ago.
The Itchma, who worshipped the god Pachacamac, were the first to use the seven-century-old Huaca Santa Cruz, followed by three other pre-Inca cultures: the Lima, Maranga and Curacazgo de Huatica.
But even after the arrival of the Spanish and their establishment of the Viceroyalty of Peru, the huacas remained in “continuous use,” Casas said, especially by highland Indians and others without access to “the formal rituals” of Catholicism.
She said the archeologists see the mummy as the “first of a series” that might be found at the Huaca Santa Cruz, where restoration work began several weeks ago under the auspices of the San Isidro district government and the National Institute of Culture.
The restoration is being carried out for the sake of Peru’s heritage and with an eye toward enhancing the structure’s appeal for tourism, according to Casas.
Lima, which is often bypassed by the thousands of foreign tourists bound for the Inca marvels of Cuzco and Machu Picchu, boasts dozens of huacas with great historical significance.
One of the most important is Pucllana, in the upscale downtown neighborhood of Miraflores, where last year archeologists discovered a tomb from the ancient Wari culture containing the mummified remains of three toddlers.
Pucllana has not only a museum but also an exclusive restaurant serving typical Peruvian dishes.
