1,000-year-old mummy in fetal position found in underground tomb in Peru

The mummy — the remains of a male between 18 and 22 years old — was found buried in a fetal position in a tomb at the site of Cajamarquilla in Peru. (Image credit: Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)

Archaeologists have unearthed a mummy dating back around 1,000 years at the site of Cajamarquilla in Peru. The researchers discovered the mummy lying in a fetal position and bound by rope.

At the time the mummy was buried, Cajamarquilla was a thriving city located on the right bank of the Rímac river about 16 miles (25 kilometers) inland, and was a place where people from the coastal and mountainous areas of Peru engaged in trade, researchers said in a statement. More than 10,000 people might have lived in the city at the time, the researchers said.

The well-preserved mummy was found in an underground tomb that had a seven-step staircase leading down to it , researchers said in the statement. The mummy, a male who was between 18 and 22 years old when he died, was found covered in a textile, their body wrapped in rope — a common practice at the time for those who lived in mountainous areas close to Cajamarquilla, the researchers said.

The remains of a dog and an Andean guinea pig were found beside the mummy, along with corn and the remains of other vegetables, Pieter Van Dalen Luna, an archaeology professor at the National University of San Marcos who led the team, said in another statement. The buried man died sometime between 1,200 — and 800 years ago, and he may have been the son of a wealthy merchant, the researchers said.