The reconstruction of the “Huarmey Queen” is based on her 1,200-year-old remains. It took specialist Oscar Nilsson 220 hours to complete.
Some 1,200 years ago, a wealthy noblewoman, at least 60 years old, was laid to rest in Peru—richly provisioned for eternity with jewelry, flasks, and weaving tools made of gold.
Now, more than five years after her tomb was found untouched outside of the coastal town of Huarmey, scientists have reconstructed what she may have looked like.
“When I first saw the reconstruction, I saw some of my indigenous friends from Huarmey in this face,” says National Geographic grantee Miłosz Giersz, the archaeologist who co-discovered the noblewoman’s tomb. “Her genes are still in the place.”
In 2012, Giersz and Peruvian archaeologist Roberto Pimentel Nita discovered the tomb El Castillo de Huarmey. The hillside site was once a large temple complex for the Wari culture, which dominated the region centuries before the more famous Inca. The tomb—which looters miraculously missed—contains the remains of 58 noblewomen, including four queens or princesses.
“This is one of the most important discoveries in recent years,” said Cecilia Pardo Grau, the curator of pre-Columbian art at the Art Museum of Lima, in an earlier interview. (Read more about the amazing find inNational Geographic magazine.)
One of these women, nicknamed the Huarmey Queen, was buried in particular splendor. Her body was found in its own private chamber, and it was surrounded with jewelry and other luxuries, including gold ear flares, a copper ceremonial axe, and a silver goblet.
Who was this woman? Giresz’s team carefully examined the skeleton and found that like many of the site’s noblewomen, the Huarmey Queen spent most of her time sitting, though she used her upper body extensively—the skeletal calling cards of a life spent weaving.
Her expertise likely explains her elite status. Among the Wari and other Andean cultures of the time, textiles were considered more valuable than gold or silver, reflective of the immense time they took to make. Giersz says that ancient textiles found elsewhere in Peru may have taken two to three generations to weave.
The Huarmey Queen, in particular, must have been revered for her weaving; she was buried with weaving tools fashioned from precious gold. In addition, she was missing some of her teeth—consistent with the decay that comes with regularly drinking chicha, a sugary, corn-based alcoholic beverage that only the Wari elite were allowed to drink.
Ear ornaments are among the treasures from the imperial tomb at El Castillo de Huarmey, where the remains of the noblewoman were discovered.
Wari textiles are among the treasures from the imperial tomb at El Castillo de Huarmey.
A stone carving is among the treasures from the imperial tomb at El Castillo de Huarmey.
A piece of art that was once covered in blue feathers, remains of these feathers can still be seen today over 1000 years after its burial.
Painted pots depicting Wari lords are among the treasures from the unlooted tomb at El Castillo de Huarmey.
Ear ornaments are among the treasures from the unlooted tomb at El Castillo de Huarmey.
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