3,000-Year-Old Mummy Surrounded by Coca Leaves Found in Peru
Archeologists in Peru have discovered a pre-Hispanic mummy buried in a ritual that included coca leaves and seashells. The mummy was found on top of a destroyed U-shaped clay temple, buried one meter down, and surrounded by stones. The body was tied with a rope braided from vines of vegetable origin, a pattern seen in ceremonies. The mummy has not yet been dated, but old fly eggs found next to the skeleton suggest the body was exposed for several days before being buried. The hill where the mummy was found is a "huaca," a Quechua word meaning oracle or sacred place.
