Mummy Unearthed in Peru -- A Victim of Sacrifice?

The image is frightening: the mummified remains of a woman, crouched in a fetal position -- Her arms folded up with her outstretched hands apparently protecting her face, which has the look of fear etched deeply upon it. A fear that reflects the impending doom of someone whose life is coming to an abrupt end.

The photo made headlines in Newspapers all across Europe from England's Evening Standard to Italy's La Repubblica.

The mummy was recently discovered in the Chacapoyas region of the Amazon in northern Peru. The area is taken from the tribe of the same name: a white-skinned tribe known as the "Cloud People" who inhabited the cloud forests and ruled the region from around 800 AD to about 1475, when they were conquered by the Incas.

The mummy was discovered in a small cave along with that of a small baby in addition to an assortment of ceramic shards and fabric and other ceremonial objects.

The photo of the mummy has divided archeologists into two camps: one group who feels the mummy was "caught in the act" -- literally dying with the look of fright on its face. And the other -- with a certainly less prosaic attitude -- which feels that the appearance of the mummy can be explained by a death of natural causes.

An article in the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera (12 January 2007) quotes an archeologist (who chose to remain anonymous) as saying that "...the mummy's look can be attributed to dehydration. That the passage of time pulled the skin away from the lips and jaw thus creating the "screaming in terror" look..." that make the headlines so interesting.