A mummy from the Chachapoyas culture has been discovered near the Amazon rainforest in northern Peru.

A mummy originating from the Chachapoyas culture has been discovered near the Amazon rainforest in northern Peru. This intriguing mummy, which appears to have been silently screaming for centuries, is believed to date back to a period spanning between 900 and 1500 BC. The excavation site has also yielded many other mummies. These discoveries, including dozens of mummies, are currently on display at the Leymebamba Museum in Peru.

Located in the Andes Mountains of northern Peru, there once existed a culture that thrived in their independent dwellings. Shortly before the Spanish invaded South America and conquered the Inca Empire, the Incas had conquered the Chachapoya people, assimilating them into their vast fold. It is for this reason that the Chachapoya culture remains a mystery – there is very little direct information about this ancient Peruvian people. Most of the information available comes from the Incas or the Spanish, and we all know that history is written by the victors.

In recent years, the mystery of the “People of the Clouds” has been revived by pertinent archaeological discoveries, including the discovery of a well-preserved mummy site in the Utcubamba Valley. Over the course of the past 15 years, more than 200 Chachapoya mummies have been discovered. Those that were not looted or moved by government officials are in remarkable condition; each was wrapped and preserved with herbs, all internal organs were removed, and facial orifices were stuffed with cotton.

Although mummification is so closely associated with Egyptian culture, there is a common misconception that the Egyptians were also the first known culture to intentionally mummify their deceased. This is actually not the case. The oldest artificial mummies were discovered in northern Chile and southern Peru. The earliest Chincorro mummies date back to 5,000 BC, which predates the earliest Egyptian mummies by almost 1,500 years. The tradition of mummification is well known in South America and archaeologists are still discovering that this tradition extends across the continent.

The incredible Chachapoya mummies can be found at the Leymebamba Museum, located high in the Andes of northern Peru. The museum, which displays some ancient Inca artifacts, focuses primarily on the funerary practices of the Chachapoya and has over 100 mummies from the Lake of the Condors, the largest known Chachapoya burial site in Peru.