Construction Workers Find an Ancient Child Mummy

Utility workers digging to install a gas pipeline in Lima just got a little more than they bargained for: a 1,000-year-old mummy, sitting just 20 inches below the surface. The discovery, made last week in the city's Puente Piedra district, involved the remains of what CBS News reports is a boy estimated to be between 10 and 15 years old. He was buried in a traditional seated position, wrapped in a shroud alongside gourds, ceramic plates, and bottles decorated with angular patterns and fisherman motifs—calling cards of Peru's pre-Inca Chancay culture, per the AP.

The site was marked by the trunk of a huarango tree, "which served as a tomb marker in the past," archaeologist Jesus Bahamonde told reporters. The boy's dark brown hair was still visible, noted Jose Aliaga, an archaeologist with the Cálidda utility. CBS News notes Peruvian utility companies must employ archaeologists on drilling projects because of the possibility of finding archaeological remains. Indeed, Cálidda says it has racked up over 2,200 finds since 2004. Such finds are especially common in Lima, now a sprawling city of 10 million, where more than 500 archaeological sites dot the landscape. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)