- Source: Laguna de las Momias
Laguna de las Momias (Lagoon of the Mummies), also known as Laguna de los Cóndores (Lagoon of the Condors) is an archaeological site located in Leimebamba, Chachapoyas province, in the Amazonas Region of Peru, excavated by the archaeologist Federico Kauffmann Doig. The site is called Lagoon of the Condors because the people who found the lagoon would see these birds soar near the lagoon; it also obtained the name Lagoon of the Mummies because of the mummy findings around the area. The Chachapoyas were an old civilization that was located in the northern forest in the time of 900 a.c. This culture had been unknown by archaeologists for hundreds of years until the mummies appeared.
It contains many mausoleums that occupy a natural cave with difficult access, sculpted in the wall of a craggy rock emerging from a lagoon.
Lagoon of the Mummies is an archaeological site located in the Amazon Andes region, notable for its discovery of well-preserved funeral deposits dating back to ancient times. Each funeral deposit found at the site contains a mummy in a seated position, wrapped in both plain and intricately decorated textiles.
Excavations at the Lagoon of the Mummies uncovered a variety of artifacts, including ceramics and other items attributed to the Inca civilization. Notably, six mausoleums were discovered, characterized by cube-shaped enclosures arranged in rows. These enclosures, built with three walls, utilized the natural rock formations as the fourth wall. The mausoleums were housed within caves adorned with paintings depicting scenes related to the burial sites, often featuring symbols whose meanings remain undeciphered.
The architecture of the mausoleums included two floors, with windows on the upper level designed to facilitate air circulation, thus safeguarding the mummies from moisture-related deterioration. The mummies themselves were interred in unique coffins adorned with human-faced designs stitched onto them.
The mummification process employed sophisticated techniques to counteract the high humidity prevalent in the Amazon Andes, ensuring the preservation of the bodies over time. Alongside the mummies, the tombs yielded a rich array of cultural artifacts, including pottery, textiles, wooden carvings resembling statues, clothing, silver objects, personal ornaments, and ceremonial items.
The mausoleums of the Lagoon of the Mummies were replete with funeral deposits, approximately two hundred; high-ranking individuals were buried there. During Inca domination of the region, officials from Cuzco, the Inca capital, resided in Cochabamba. In the 1990s, artifacts were stolen by looters. Although the robbers were later arrested, the end result was that many of these mummies were destroyed and others damaged.
In 1997, a survey of the damage was taken by archaeologist Peter Lerche on the behalf of Peru's National Institute of Culture. There was an initial estimation of around 70 mummies to have been present on the cliff edge (it was later discovered that there was actually over 200 bundles of mummies). Later salvaging revealed that there were others who had damaged the site other than the ones who initially hacked into the tombs and stole artifacts. These were caused by tourists and looters over time visiting the cliff, moving mummies to take pictures as well as taking artifacts as souvenirs. Due to the mummies being moved around, many of them were damaged, with some of them even exposed to the rain, completely decaying them.