Utility workers in Peru unearth pre-Incan tomb with 1,000-year-old remains
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Baffled construction workers discover a 1,000-year-old Peruvian mummy in a hidden tomb beneath the capital
Construction workers in Lima, Peru, have found the remains of a 1,000-year-old mummy in a tomb hidden beneath the city streets. The individual may come from a civilisation which predates the Incan Empire, which ruled over Peru until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. In addition to the remains, researchers also found pots which link this individual to the pre-Incan Chalcay culture. Six mummified children were also found in a grave, believed to have been sacrificed to accompany a nobleman to the afterlife 1,200 years ago. The remains were found while workers expanded the city’s gas network, and were discovered in one of two tombs. However, this is far from the first time that archaeological sites have been discovered beneath Lima. It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including tombs, burbs, and mainly funerary elements: among these, mummies, burials, and mummies of noblemen. Sadly, the site has been poorly treated despite official recognition, with a quarter having been destroyed and the rest threatened by urban spread.
Construction workers have been baffled to discover an ancient mummy buried in a hidden tomb beneath the streets of Peru’s capital, Lima.
While expanding the city’s gas network, utility workers accidentally unearthed two previously undiscovered tombs.
One of the burial structures was empty, but the other contained the remains of an individual believed to be more than 1,000 years old.
Archaeologists say that this individual may come from a civilisation which predates the Incan Empire, which ruled over Peru until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
The solitary figure was found wrapped in a torn bundle in a sitting position, with their legs tightly pressed against their chest.
The archaeologists continue to clean the remains, but, for now, the identity of this Peruvian mummy remains a mystery.
Alongside the individual, archaeologists also found four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artefacts.
Archaeologist José Aliaga told Reuters: ‘The material evidence suggests that it could be a burial of the Chancay culture, from approximately 1,000 to 1,200 years ago.’
Construction workers in Lima, Peru, have been baffled to find the remains of a 1,000-year-old mummy in a tomb hidden beneath the city streets
The remains were found while workers expanded the city’s gas network, and were discovered in one of two tombs
Prior to the rise of the mighty Incan Empire, the part of Peru which makes up modern-day Lima was home to the Chancay people.
The Chancay were a relatively small regional power that existed between 1,000 and 1,470 years ago.
Most of what we know about the Chancay comes from their distinctive pottery, which often included drinking vessels with human faces or small dolls placed in tombs.
One of these anthropomorphic vessels was found in the tomb alongside the remains of the unknown mummy.
Mr Aliaga says that the presence of such rich pottery in this tomb likely points to the existence of a larger burial complex.
‘We are probably over a pre-Hispanic cemetery, as we found another burial just around the corner from here,’ Mr Aliaga said.
This discovery was particularly unusual since it was found directly below a busy city street, just 6.6ft (two metres) from a resident’s front gate.
However, this is far from the first time that archaeological sites have been discovered beneath Lima.
In addition to the remains, researchers also found pots which link this individual to the pre-Incan Chalcay culture
While archaeologists work to clean the remains, the identity of this individual remains a mystery
The project’s lead archaeologist says this is likely part of a larger burial complex hidden beneath the city
The Cajamarquilla archaeological site Cajamarquilla is an archaeological site some 16 miles from Lima. It was first settled by the Huari around 400–600 AD, but went on to be appropriated by later peoples including both the Ychma and Inca. The city sports blocks of mud–brick housing and pyramids that are thought to have been built for Huari warriors. Sadly, the site has been poorly treated despite official recognition — with a quarter having been destroyed and the rest threatened by urban spread.
The first inhabitants to settle around Lima were the fishermen and hunters who developed agriculture in the region around 10,000 years ago.
This means the city is densely packed with the remains of pre-Incan, Inca, and Spanish settlements.
Archaeological sites are so common that most construction companies working underground hire archaeologists.
Cálidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima and found these remains, says it has already made more than 2,200 discoveries.
Mr Aliaga says: ‘Lima is unique among Latin American capitals in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project.’
Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru, who was not involved in the discovery, says: ‘It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals.’
At the dig site of Cajamarquilla, a site just east of Lima, archaeologists have discovered many mummies – including several which could have been victims of human sacrifice.
Researchers found six mummified children found in a grave, believed to have been sacrificed to accompany a dead nobleman to the afterlife 1,200 years ago.
Six mummified children found in a grave in Peru were likely sacrificed to accompany a dead nobleman to the afterlife 1,200 years ago, archaeologists believe
The mummified children were uncovered in the grave of an important man – possibly a political figure – who was aged between 35 and 40 at the time of his death
Archaeologists have found a number of strange mummies at the site, preserved fully bound up in ropes, with their hands covering their faces, as pictured
The tiny skeletons, wrapped tightly in cloth, were found in the grave of an important man – possibly a political figure – believed to have been aged between 35 and 40 at the time of his death.
Archaeologists say that the pre-Inca civilisations did not see death as the end but, rather, a transition to a different stage.
The souls of the dead were believed to become protectors, so these children may have been killed to accompany the nobleman into the afterlife.
The perceived nobleman was entombed in the foetal position with his hands covering his face, and tied up with a rope.
At the same site, archaeologists also found another mummy which had been completely bound in the same manner.
According to the researchers, the mummy dates back 1,200-800 years and belonged to the pre-Inca civilisation that developed between the Peruvian coast and mountains.
Archaeologists believe that this unusual arrangement may have been part of a unique local funeral tradition.
Utility workers in Peru unearth pre-Incan tomb with 1,000-year-old remains
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Utility workers shockingly discover thousand-year-old remains inside pre-Incan tomb at Peruvian dig site
Utility workers excavating trenches to expand underground gas networks in Peru’s capital unearthed two pre-Incan tombs on Thursday. One was empty, but the other held the 1,000-year-old remains of an individual, alongside four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artifacts. This isn’t the first time Cálidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima, has found archaeological remains. The Peruvian capital, a city of 10 million people, has more than 400 archaeological sites from the Inca era, the 15th century, or earlier.
This isn’t the first time Cálidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima, has found archaeological remains. Over more than two decades of excavation work to expand the underground network, the company says it has made more than 2,200 discoveries.
4 Utility workers excavating trenches to expand underground gas networks in Peru’s capital unearthed two pre-Incan tombs on Thursday. AP
4 Aerial view of archaeologists excavating a pre-Inca mummy and artifacts. AP
According to archaeologist José Aliaga, the vessels’ iconography and their black, white, and red colors “allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture,’ which is approximately 1,000 to 1,470 years old.” Aliaga told The Associated Press that the individual was found wrapped in a torn bundle, in a sitting position with his legs against his chest, and his team will continue cleaning the remains.
“Lima is unique among Latin American capitals,” Aliaga said, “in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project.”
4 This isn’t the first time Cálidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima, has found archaeological remains. AP
4 According to archaeologist José Aliaga, the vessels’ iconography and their black, white, and red colors “allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture,’ which is approximately 1,000 to 1,470 years old.” AP
The Peruvian capital, a city of 10 million people, has more than 400 archaeological sites from the Inca era, the 15th century, or earlier, from the pre-Inca period, according to the Ministry of Culture.
On Thursday, passersby stopped in their tracks to observe the burial site, even taking out their cellphones to take a picture.
“I always thought they were paths where no one had lived,” said Flor Prieto, who was walking with her 7-year-old daughter. “But now I know that people older than the Incas have lived there…it feels so exciting.”
“It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals,” said Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru. Van Dalen was not involved in Thursday’s discovery.
Pre-Incan tomb with 1,000-year-old remains unearthed in Peru
Utility workers excavating trenches to expand an underground gas network in the capital of Peru unearthed two pre-Incan tombs on Thursday. One of the tombs was empty while the other held the 1,000-year-old remains of an individual alongside four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artifacts. The Peruvian capital of Lima, a city of more than 10 million people, has more than 400 archeological sites from the Inca era, the 15th century, or earlier, according to the Ministry of Culture. Last month, utility workers found a 1, thousand- year-old mummy of a child aged between 10 and 15 while installing pipes in the city’s Puente Piedra district. The company that distributes natural gas in Lima says it has made more than 2,200 discoveries.
One of the tombs was empty while the other held the 1,000-year-old remains of an individual alongside four clay vessels and three pumpkin shell artifacts.
According to archaeologist José Aliaga, the vessels’ iconography and their black, white, and red colors “allow us to establish a connection with the pre-Incan Chancay culture,’ which is approximately 1,000 to 1,470 years old.” Aliaga told The Associated Press that the individual was found wrapped in a torn bundle, in a sitting position with his legs against his chest, and his team will continue cleaning the remains.
Archaeologist Jose Aliaga works at the site where city workers discovered ancient remains, from the pre-Inca Chancay culture, and artifacts as they were digging a natural gas line for the company Calidda in Lima, Peru. Guadalupe Pardo / AP
“Lima is unique among Latin American capitals,” Aliaga said, “in that various archaeological finds are unearthed during nearly every civil project.”
The Peruvian capital of Lima, a city of more than 10 million people, has more than 400 archeological sites from the Inca era, the 15th century, or earlier, from the pre-Inca period, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Aerial view of the site where an ancient tomb attributed to the pre-Inca Chancay culture was accidentally unearthed by workers installing a gas pipeline in Lima’s Puente Piedra district on July 31, 2025. CONNIE FRANCE/AFP via Getty Images
Astonishingly, Thursday’s discovery was not the first time Cálidda, the company that distributes natural gas in Lima, has found archeological remains. Over more than two decades of excavation work to expand the underground network, the company says it has made more than 2,200 discoveries.
Last month, utility workers found a 1,000-year-old mummy of a child aged between 10 and 15 while installing pipes. Archeologist Jesus Bahamonde told reporters at the time that the workers found the trunk of a huarango tree, “which served as a tomb marker in the past.”
In April, archaeologists in Peru announced they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, in an area that for decades was used as a garbage dump.
Just days before that, researchers carrying out excavation work in southern Peru found an ancient tomb filled with the remains of two dozen people believed to be battle victims.
“It is very common to find archaeological remains on the Peruvian coast, including Lima, mainly funerary elements: tombs, burials, and, among these, mummified individuals,” said Pieter Van Dalen, dean of the College of Archaeologists of Peru. Van Dalen was not involved in Thursday’s discovery.
Archaeologists work at the site where city workers discovered ancient remains, from the pre-Inca Chancay culture, and artifacts in Lima, Peru. Guadalupe Pardo / AP
On Thursday, passersby stopped in their tracks to observe the burial site, even taking out their cellphones to take a picture.
“I always thought they were paths where no one had lived,” said Flor Prieto, who was walking with her 7-year-old daughter. “But now I know that people older than the Incas have lived there…it feels so exciting.”
A winner either way: José Caballero traded from Rays to Yankees while teams were playing each other
José Caballero traded by Tampa Bay Rays to the New York Yankees. The deal was announced after the Yankees nailed down a 7-4 victory in a game interrupted by rain. The 28-year-old has 34 stolen bases this season, tied for most in the majors. Tampa Bay made two other trades Thursday, acquiring starting pitcher Adrian Houser from the Chicago White Sox and reliever Griffin Jax from Minnesota. The team obtained catcher Nick Fortes from Miami early Tuesday, after sending veteran catcher Danny Jansen to Milwaukee the previous night.“It’s been a unique week,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We won the game, I guess. That”s what I feel right now.” “It was a little weird to see it happen, but you just kind of put all the pieces together and figure it out for ourselves,’ teammate Brandon Lowe said.
By the bottom of the seventh, he was on the other team.
In a strange development even for trade-deadline day around Major League Baseball, the Rays shipped Caballero to the New York Yankees — while the teams were still playing each other Thursday afternoon.
Caballero was removed from Tampa Bay’s lineup during the seventh-inning stretch, and the deal was announced after the Yankees nailed down a 7-4 victory in a game interrupted by rain for nearly three hours in the fifth.
“I just saw Caballero in the clubhouse, so that was a little odd,” New York manager Aaron Boone said afterward. “I saw him actually hugging people in the eighth.”
After learning he’d been traded, Caballero exchanged hugs in the Tampa Bay dugout at Yankee Stadium with his Rays teammates and manager Kevin Cash.
Both clubs were active right up until the 6 p.m. deadline, and Tampa Bay sent the speedy Caballero to the AL East-rival Yankees for Triple-A outfielder Everson Pereira and a player to be named or cash.
Pereira played 27 major league games for New York in 2023.
The 28-year-old Caballero has 34 stolen bases this season, tied for most in the majors. He’s batting .226 with two homers and 27 RBIs in 86 games and has started at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions.
Caballero didn’t start Thursday for the Rays but entered in the bottom of the fifth when All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda got injured. Caballero came in to play second base, and Brandon Lowe shifted from second base to first.
Caballero stayed in the game following a rain delay that lasted 2 hours, 45 minutes. But when Tampa Bay took the field for the bottom of the seventh, he came out. Lowe moved back to second base and Matt Thaiss entered at first.
“It’s definitely weird, but you’ve seen it on TV multiple times of people saying goodbye in the middle of the game in these situations,” Lowe said. “It was a little weird to see it happen, but you just kind of put all the pieces together and figure it out for ourselves.”
After the game, Caballero conducted his postgame interview as a member of the Yankees in their clubhouse — after clearing out his Rays locker on the other side of the stadium.
“I was winning today regardless,” Caballero said. “We won the game, I guess. That’s what I feel right now.”
Tampa Bay made two other trades Thursday, acquiring starting pitcher Adrian Houser from the Chicago White Sox and reliever Griffin Jax from Minnesota.
The team obtained catcher Nick Fortes from Miami early Tuesday, after sending veteran catcher Danny Jansen to Milwaukee the previous night.
Zack Littell pitched five scoreless innings Wednesday night for the Rays at Yankee Stadium, then immediately was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
“It’s been a unique week,” Cash said.
Caballero was acquired by Tampa Bay from Seattle in January 2024. As a rookie with the Mariners in June 2023, he annoyed Yankees ace Gerrit Cole so much the right-hander — sidelined this season with an injury — threw a 97 mph fastball to him that landed high up on the backstop.
Cole’s pitch was in response to Caballero stepping out repeatedly during his first two plate appearances until the pitch clock was down to the 8-second requirement to be in the batter’s box and alert.
“I talked to him for a second,” Boone said. “I said, `We’ve had some battles but I like your game.’ So I think he brings a lot to the table and I think he’s going to be a very useful player for us, just a lot of different things he can do on a diamond and provide a lot of position flexibility.”
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AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
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