During a routine search of a delivery man acting drunk at an archaeological site in Puno, the police made a startling discovery. Inside the man’s cooler bag was an ancient mummy, which he referred to as his “spiritual girlfriend” and named “Juanita.”
“At home, she’s in my room, she sleeps with me. I take care of her,” he said in a video.
Julio Cesar Bermejo, 26, a former food delivery man, confessed to carrying the mummy around to show it to his friends, revealing that his father owned it.
The mummy was later identified by experts as that of an adult male, around 45 years old at the time of death, with a height of 1.51 meters. Its fetal position and bandages were typical of pre-Hispanic burials in the region.
“It’s not a Juanita; it’s a Juan,” a Ministry specialist affirmed.
Before the Spanish conquest, mummification was a common practice among various cultures in present-day Peru, with some mummies buried and others paraded during important festivals.
Upon confiscation, the police handed the mummy to the Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for safeguarding the country’s cultural heritage.
The delivery man and his two friends, aged between 23 and 26, were detained and are currently under investigation for possible crimes against Peru’s cultural heritage.