Peruvian archaeologists have discovered 14 pre-Incan mummies believed to be between 800-1000 years old at the archaeological complex of Cajamarquilla, located east of Lima.
National University of San Marcos (UNMSM) archaeologist Yomira Huaman, who is in charge of the Cajamarquilla archaeological site, said her team has found that six of the mummies are children.
The rest are adults, with two confirmed to be women.
Archaeologists believe the children and adults were sacrificed in honour of a prominent figure within the local elite, whose mummy was found in late 2021, so that they could serve as accompaniment in the afterlife.
"Andine societies believed that after passing away, people didn't disappear. Death wasn't an ending but a beginning, a transition to a parallel world," archaeologist and professor at UNMSM Pieter Van Dalen Luna said.
"As part of the funerary rites other people were sacrificed in his honour. They were placed in the tomb's entrance so that they could accompany him in the path of the dead."
The mummies were found accompanied by other objects such as ceramic pots, decorated calabashes, knitting gear and botanical remains.
