Buried with a Parrot-Feather Cape and Beaded Toucan’s Beak, This High-Status Ancient Woman Reveals Secrets of Modern-Day Peru

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The burial belongs to the ancient Caral culture, the oldest civilization in the Americas

Sonja Anderson

April 29, 2025 2:05 p.m.

A significant archaeological find in Peru has unveiled the burial of an elite woman from the Caral civilization, one of the Americas’ oldest known cultures, thriving around 5,000 years ago. Her remains were found in a building within Áspero, an important ancient fishing town, revealing insights into the social structure of this early society.

The woman was interred with care, wrapped in multiple layers of cloth and adorned with woven plants and vibrant macaw feathers. Her grave contained valuable artifacts such as seashells, stone bowls, and a toucan’s beak, all indicative of her high status within the community. This discovery underlines the significance of women in the Caral culture, which thrived between approximately 3000 and 1800 B.C.E.

“This burial is particularly noteworthy due to the high-status elements associated with it,” stated David Palomino, the lead archaeologist at the site. “It challenges the conventional view that only men held significant power in this ancient civilization.”

The Caral civilization, also referred to as Caral-Supe, is recognized for establishing around 30 major urban centers in the Americas, emerging roughly a millennium after Mesopotamia’s Sumer civilization and contemporaneously with the Egyptian pyramid construction. Notably, the Caral civilization predates the well-known Olmec culture by nearly 2,000 years.

A research team led by Ruth Shady uncovered the grave at the Huaca de los Ídolos, a public building within the Áspero site, located less than a mile from the Pacific coast. This archaeological complex includes 22 interconnected structures and faced years of degradation before excavation began in 2005.

Remarkably, due to the careful preparation of the body, the woman’s hair, skin, and nails have been remarkably preserved. Analysis indicates she was between 20 and 35 years old and stood about five feet tall at the time of her death.

Researchers are currently conducting further studies on her remains to uncover details related to her diet and possible causes of death. Palomino noted that while it was traditionally assumed that rulership in Caral was predominantly male, the findings of this burial and a similar one discovered in 2016 highlight the influential roles women held in this ancient society.

The grave yielded an array of items, including an Amazonian snail shell, a fishing net, wool textiles, around 30 sweet potatoes, weaving tools, and decorative reed baskets. The woman was also buried with a cloak made of blue and brown feathers from an Amazonian macaw, woven using a technique not previously identified in earlier Caral artifacts but seen in later Chimú and Inca cultures. This suggests that the Caral civilization possessed advanced skills in both fishing and artistry.

“This find is crucial, not just for Peruvian history, but for a broader understanding of the technological sophistication the Caral civilization achieved,” Palomino added, emphasizing the importance of the discovery for historical knowledge.

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