A replica of The Lady of Cao face, a female mummy found at the archaeological site Huaca El Brujo, a grand pyramid of the ancient Moche pre Hispanic culture, is seen at the Ministry of Culture in Lima, Peru July 4, 2017. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo
The mummy of the female ruler was wrapped in more than 20 layers of fabric and buried with a fascinating treasure trove of gold and weapons. However, as noted by National Geographic, what role she played in her community is still a mystery.
“Without written records, we don’t know who she was,” says John Verano, an anthropologist from Tulane University who assisted in both her unwrapping and her facial reconstruction.
However, experts were able to deduce that she was an important figure—perhaps the wife of a ruler—or most likely ruled on her own.
The female Peruvian ruler died when she was in her twenties when she reigned over a desert Valley in Peru some 1,700 years ago. Her body was intricately tattooed with symbols depicting snakes, spiders and other mythological marks.
Now, thanks to revolutionary digital forensics technology, we can see what the Lady of Cao looked like after her 3D imaging revealed her face by culture officials and archaeologists.