Ancient Burial of High-Status Woman Sheds Light on Peru’s Caral Civilisation!
Archaeologists in Peru have made an extraordinary discovery: a remarkably well-preserved 5,000-year-old burial of a high-ranking woman at the Áspero archaeological site. Áspero was once a thriving fishing settlement tied to the ancient Caral civilisation—the oldest known civilisation in the Americas. The find, led by Dr Ruth Shady Solís and her team from the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC) under Peru’s Ministry of Culture, offers important insights into the influential role women played in early Andean society.
Photo Credit: Ministry of Culture of Peru
The woman’s remains were uncovered within Huaca de los Ídolos, a ceremonial public building at Áspero, located along Peru’s coastline in the Barranca province, around 180 kilometres north of Lima. Áspero was one of Caral’s key satellite cities. The Caral civilisation flourished from around 3000 to 1800 BC, developing independently alongside other early civilisations such as those in Egypt, Sumer, and China.
The remains belong to a woman aged between 20 and 35 years, standing approximately 1.5 metres (5 feet) tall. What makes this discovery particularly notable is the exceptional state of preservation; archaeologists found fragments of her skin, nails, and hair—an extremely rare occurrence in the region’s climate. She had been carefully wrapped in layers of cotton textiles and reed mats and covered with a beautifully embroidered feather mantle, created from the vibrant feathers of macaws. This piece is one of the oldest examples of Andean featherwork known to date.
Accompanying the burial was a wealth of funerary offerings arranged across two levels. These included bottle-shaped vessels, reed baskets, a delicately incised bone needle, a shell believed to have come from the Amazon basin, weaving tools, a piece of woollen fabric, a fishing net, a toucan beak adorned with green and brown beads, and more than thirty sweet potatoes. These items highlight the woman’s high social status and reveal the extent of Caral’s trade and cultural networks, which reached deep into the Amazonian regions.
Photo Credit: Ministry of Culture of Peru
An official statement from the Peruvian government noted that the feathered panel and other finely crafted items point to the advanced technical skills achieved during the Caral civilisation. The intricate featherwork, in particular, demonstrates the rich symbolic and artistic traditions of this ancient society.
Experts emphasise that this burial reflects the important roles women could hold within Caral. It also fits with other elite burials uncovered at Áspero in recent years, such as the "Lady of the Four Tupus" in 2016 and the "Elite Man" in 2019, suggesting a consistent tradition of ceremonial elite burials. Comparisons have also been drawn with later burial practices at La Galgada in the Áncash region, supporting the idea that women in early Andean cultures were often afforded considerable status and influence.
A multidisciplinary research team is now studying the woman’s remains and the associated artefacts in detail, aiming to uncover more about her health, diet, cause of death, and the cultural significance of the objects buried with her.