Unmasking the Previous: Scientists Lastly Reconstruct Face of Historical 2,000-Yr-Previous Inca Mummy
A mummified female child that was once on display at Corpus Christi Science and History Museum is being returned to Peru, its country of origin.
The mummy was brought to then Corpus Christi Junior Museum by Aalbert Heine, director of the city’s museum. He brought the mummy from the Natural History Museum in New York City in 1957.
The mummy is believed to be a 6-8-year-old female from Peru who died more than 2,000-years-ago. X-rays indicate the mummy fits common Peruvian mummification practices. The Inca child was placed in the fetal position with its hands crossed to her chest and knees tucked in. X-rays indicate the mummy fits common Peruvian mummification practices.
The Inca mummy is approximately 19.5 inches long. The head is turned over the left shoulder but from photo evidence of the artifact from the Nineteen Fifties, this shift happened inside the last several decades.
Roughness on the skull indicates some type of matter adhered to the skull. A possibility could have been cloth which was sometimes used over the head of Inca mummies.
White material near the jaw appears to be a type of cloth. Inca mummies were sometimes wrapped in a type of cloth over the head after death.
There is a coiled torus-shape of rope at the bottom, which is dense and forms a ‘base.’ According to Peruvian officials, that is a common practice in Inca mummies.
The rope casing that wraps around the mummy shows signs of wear and tear from hanging on display over the years.