Peruvian Archeologists Find Mummy Next to Soccer Club's Practice Field in Lima

Archeologists in Peru made a startling discovery this week, when a pre-Hispanic mummy believed to be 3,000 years old was unearthed in Lima on a hill next to the training field and headquarters for a professional soccer club.

The male skeleton was found placed in the remains of a U-shaped clay tomb, face up, with the body laid out flat and its lower extremities tied with a rope braided from vines. Other items excavated nearby—including corn, coca leaves and seeds—suggest that the mummy was buried in a ritual sacrifice or offering.

Fly eggs were likewise found next to the skeleton, suggesting that the body was likely exposed for several days before being buried.

Researchers and San Marcos University students first discovered the mummy's hair and skull in a cotton bundle during the initial excavation, before the rest of the skeleton was uncovered.

Miguel Aguilar, a professor of archeology at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, said that the mummy likely dates back to the Manchay culture. The Manchay developed in the valleys of Lima between 1500 and 1000 B.C., and were known for building U-shaped temples—similar to the one the mummy was discovered in—that faced towards the rising sun.

Leading up to the discovery, a team of excavators had collected up to eight tons of garbage that covered the top of the hill, adjacent to the practice field for the popular Sporting Cristal soccer club, which had been used as a camp for unhoused people.

Remains of ancient mud walls on the hill suggest that it was once a "huaca," which is a Quechua word meaning oracle or sacred place. Lima is home to more than 400 huacas, and it's not unusual for pre-Hispanic remains to be accidentally unearthed by city workers installing natural gas lines or water mains; or in some instances, even homeowners.