Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed a well-preserved 5,000-year-old burial of a high-status woman at the Áspero archaeological site—an ancient fishing settlement associated with the Caral civilization, the oldest civilization in the Americas. The discovery, made by Dr. Ruth Shady Solís and her team from the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC) of Peru’s Ministry of Culture, offers a glimpse into the prominent role of women in early Andean society.

The burial was unearthed at Huaca de los Ídolos, a public ceremonial building in Áspero, a site on the Peruvian coast in the Barranca province, some 180 kilometers north of Lima. Áspero was one of the principal satellite cities of Caral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and flourished from 3000 to 1800 BC—contemporaneous with ancient Egypt, Sumer, and China, though it developed in complete isolation.

The remains are those of a woman between the ages of 20 and 35 years old and about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. What is remarkable about this find is the state of preservation: archaeologists recovered parts of her skin, nails, and hair—a very uncommon condition for human remains in the region. She was wrapped in multiple layers of cotton fabric and rush mats and covered with an embroidered feather mantle of bright macaw feathers, an art form that is one of the oldest surviving examples of Andean featherwork.

The remains are those of a woman between the ages of 20 and 35 years old and about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. What is remarkable about this find is the state of preservation: archaeologists recovered parts of her skin, nails, and hair—a very uncommon condition for human remains in the region. She was wrapped in multiple layers of cotton fabric and rush mats and covered with an embroidered feather mantle of bright macaw feathers, an art form that is one of the oldest surviving examples of Andean featherwork.