The tombs are believed to belong to members of the Wari tribal culture who lived and ruled in Peru between 600 and 800 AD
Huaca Pucllana contains the ruins of an ancient plaza, a partially excavated mound of rocks, bricks and earth. About 30 tombs have been unearthed there so far, but yesterday’s discovery was the most exciting.
“We had discovered other tombs before,” said Isabel Flores, director of the ruins. “But they always had holes or were damaged. “We had never found an entire tomb like this, intact.”
The mummy was sitting in a deep hole walled up with crumbling bricks. A pair of large blue eyes stared menacingly from his wooden mask.
“His face surprised me at first,” said Michelangelo, 19, who was working with archaeologists on the dig. “I didn’t expect to find something like that.”
Workers carefully covered the mummy with tissue paper before lifting it onto a wooden board.
Next to the mummy were a series of tools and other objects, including ceramics and textiles.
The Wari had a capital near the modern city of Ayacuho in the Andes, but they developed an extensive road network and traveled throughout the region.
The Incas did not begin to conquer and dominate Peru until the 13th century AD
