Mummies in South America
Throughout the years, ancient mummies dating back to 7,000 years ago have been found all throughout South America, especially in Peru. Ancient civilizations, including ones that existed before and after the Incan Empire, practiced mummification rituals after death. The purpose of mummification was to maintain a connection with those who have passed and to honor one’s ancestors. Families would keep these mummies in their houses, and bring them to festivals nearby for celebratory purposes. These mummies would generally be placed into the fetal position and were wrapped in either leather or cloth to remove moisture from the body in order to preserve it. Much like a modern-day society where people lay flowers on gravestones, Peruvian civilizations would decorate mummies’ tombs with food, pottery, jewelry, and other daily items. According to the American Museum of Natural History, these items have helped scientists understand what South American life was like hundreds of years ago.
What Happened?
While drunk and on his way to his friend’s house in Puno, Peru, 26-year-old Julio Cesar Bermejo, a former food delivery man, was found by police with an 800-year-old mummy in his food delivery bag. The red bag read PedidosYa, a popular online food-ordering company that connects restaurants across Latin America. The police revealed that the mummy was in the fetal position when opened. When asked what he was doing with the ancient mummy, Cesar responded to authorities saying he wanted to show it off to his friends, as this mummy had been in his family for decades, almost 30 years and even had a name, Juanita. According to AFP, Cesar told authorities that, “At home, she’s in my room, she sleeps with me. I take care of her,” and referred to the corpse as his, “spiritual girlfriend.”
After inspection of the body, the mummy was revealed to be the remains of an adult male, making the mummy a “Juan” and not a “Juanita” after all. It is suspected that the mummy’s age of death was 45 years old and that he was 4’11. The mummy was wrapped in bandages everywhere, which was typical for mummies from that time period.
Where are Cesar and Juan Now?
After being questioned by several news outlets and the authorities, Cesar was taken into custody despite his effort to claim ownership of the body. Soon after Cesar was taken into custody, so was his mummy. According to Peru’s Ministry of Culture, they had taken the mummy from Cesar in order to “protect and preserve their heritage” and culture. Sadly, Cesar will not receive his “spiritual girlfriend” back and is currently being held in a detention center as the investigation continues.
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