Dozens of mummies with 'false heads' from mysterious ancient empire unearthed
The mummies were buried with accessories the dead could use in a supposed 'parallel world of the ancestors'.
A team of archaeologists were stunned to discover 73 intact mummies with "false heads" wrapped in cloth as funerary bundles as they researched the site of Pachacamac, south of Lima, Peru.
The remains are dated between 800 to 1100 AD, a time when the Wari Empire was flourishing in the central Andes before the rise of the Inca Empire.
Professor Krzysztof Makowski, who led the team from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), explained in a blog post: "In the pre-Hispanic Andes no one died. Everyone was predestined to continue living in the parallel world of the ancestors."
The discovery was made in an extensive cemetery complex that had been previously discovered by Max Uhle in the late 19th century.
The researchers focused on an area where a high Inca-era wall had collapsed, leading them to the 73 burials.
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These burials included individual and group burials, with several bodies adorned with carved wooden and ceramic masks, referred to as "false heads" by the experts.
It is believed that these finds can provide valuable information about the social roles of men, women, and children during this period, due to their excellent state of preservation.
During the times before the Spanish arrived, when a person passed away, their family would prepare them for their next journey in the afterlife.
Makowski said: "The prevalence of burial bundles in the cemeteries of the Peruvian coast in the late period, and at the beginning of the colonial period, in the case of burials of all age groups of both sexes is evidence that this duty to ensure the continuity of life after life to one's immediate ancestors was taken very seriously."
The archaeologist also explained that for cultures like the Wari it was believed that the dead looked after the crops and controlled the water supply.
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The Pachacamac site, a renowned Incan temple, is named after the deity Pacha Kamaq (Pachakamak, in Quechua), which translates to 'one who gives life to the earth'.
The recent discovery was made at an extensive complex of cemeteries from different periods, located at the foot of the Painted Temple.
This cemetery complex was first discovered in the late 19th century by Uhle, a pioneer of scientific archaeology in the Andes.
Over the years, the cemetery has suffered significant destruction, first due to a campaign to eradicate pagan beliefs during colonial times, and later by grave robbers.
Professor Makowski and his team, including Cynthia Vargas, Domenico Villavicencio and Ana Fernandez, focused their research on an area where a tall Inca and colonial-era wall had fallen.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MARIA ORTEGA
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