National Museum said remains of two women, thought to be from the late 1500s, ‘are of high quality’
Mummies that are at least 800 years old found by archeologists in Lima
An estimated 800-year-old mummy has been unearthed in central Peru by archeologists searching for early 20th-century-era gold in Inca burial pits.
The woman, whose body was discovered on Friday, is believed to be of two women, weighing between 17-and-a-half and 19kg.
National Museum of Anthropology said in a statement that the remains were “of high quality.”
The museum said it hoped to eventually analyze the mummies to learn more about their lives, their time in the mausoleum and the pollution of the site.
Antonio Vargas Delgado of the Lima Museum said that the remains were dug up by the Civil Guard when it was inspecting the gravesites in the temple.
Archeologists said they were seeking to find gold mines and to preserve the mummies.
Peru expects to raise more than $12m (£8.5m) from projects to conserve its mummies as the country seeks to position itself as a centre for “cultural heritage tourism.”
The excavations are in Lima’s central district of Barranco.