11 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Lady of Cao and Moche Culture

The Moche civilization and the Mochico culture were one of the pre-Inca civilizations that developed in the north of present-day Peru.

The Moche people were a civilization that thrived along Peru’s northern coast from roughly 100 AD until 700 AD. They were essentially a farming society. They also possessed excellent workmanship, as seen by their ceramics and jewelry. They are known for their monumental constructions (huacas) and irrigation systems.

Of these monumental structures, Huaca del Sol is the largest pre-Columbian building in Peru. Near this building, which was partially destroyed in the 16th century, Huaca de la Luna is better preserved. The nearby Huaca de la Luna is better preserved. Its interior walls contain many colorful murals with complex iconography. The iconographies, the ceramics, the pottery, and the stories depicted on the walls of their temples, all show a great deal of violence, and vibrant cultures and rituals.

The Moche people participated in sex, violence, and sacrifices, according to what can be determined about their society. They celebrated life and nature, and they valued both life and death equally.

Ceramics from the Moche culture
Ceramics from the Moche culture

Lady of Cao

The Moche are likewise a remarkable people in that their iconography, pottery, and other features were extremely developed, yet one part of their civilization is noticeably absent. They have no written documents, unlike other known civilizations.

The Lord of Sipan was the first Moche mummy discovered. As a result, it was considered that the Moche civilization was a patriarchal or male-dominated society, but these beliefs were refuted with the discovery of Lady of Cao.

_El Brujo archaeological complex
El Brujo archaeological complex. Photo: Wikipedia

It is Peruvian archaeologist Regulo Franco, who in 2006, together with the Wiese Foundation, uncovered the discovery of the Lady of Cao, the first known woman with absolute power in the Moche civilization.

For 1,700 years, the remains of this woman with almost semi-divine powers were hidden in a splendid tomb at the Cao Viejo temple within the El Brujo archaeological complex some 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the city of Trujillo on Peru’s northern coast.

The Huaca el brujo was the Lady of Cao’s final resting place. The hallowed burial location of Huaca el Brujo is also known as Wizard’s Hill. All archaeologists were surprised to locate a female mummy in Huaca el brujo because it was considered that only males were buried there.

Nose rings found in the tomb of Lady of Cao.
Nose rings found in the tomb of Lady of Cao.

When her burial things, including the body, were retrieved, no archeologist could have guessed that the person enclosed among the surrounding 25 layers of fine fabric, cotton, and copper plates was a lady.

She had been buried there with her wealth and jewelry, along with five other people, including two priests, two bodyguards, and a teenage girl, in a room 275 square meters (almost 3,000 square feet) in size, decorated with murals depicting Moche cosmology and various divinities in the form of various animals.

She is estimated to have lived around 450 CE, and she died in her mid-twenties. It has been confirmed that she died during childbirth due to various complications.

Lady of Cao's tattoos
Lady of Cao’s tattoos.

The mummy’s corpse was in good condition, due to the saline ocean in which it was most likely washed and then anointed with cinnabar (mercury sulfide) during the burial ceremonies. Furthermore, the Lady of Cao’s forearms and hands were covered with gorgeous tattoos of serpents, an indication of her religious authority as a healer and probably also as an oracle, and spiders, highlighting her ability as a weaver.

Lady of Cao was buried with gold, silver, and gilded copper jewelry. The many pieces of jewelry indicate that she may have been a high-ranking member of society. Because the Moche tribe did not intentionally mummify their deceased, it is considered that the Lady of Cao was an exception.

This had clearly changed the outlook of a male ruled Moche society. In subsequent years, as many as eight other priestess queens’ remains have been unearthed from the Moche burial sites.

El Brujo also has the unique feature that it’s an enclave that was first occupied 14,000 years ago.

Considered the most powerful woman in ancient Peru, the Lady of Cao rewrites the history of pre-Hispanic civilizations, although she continues to keep many secrets.

Related Articles

The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile

16 August 2021

16 August 2021

The Babylonian captivity or exile was an era in ancient Israel’s history. That exile began with a two-stage expulsion in...

The mystery of Cathedral of Salamanca’s astronaut figure, isn’t what people think it is

10 March 2022

10 March 2022

There is a photograph of an “astronaut” carved in a 16th century Spanish cathedral in Salamanca. Known as the Catedral...

Khirbet Midras pyramid and  Archaeological Site in Israel

28 November 2022

28 November 2022

Khirbet Midras (Arabic) or Horvat Midras (Hebrew) is one of several antiquities sites located within the Adullam Grove National Park,...

Georgia’s Queen of Kings “Tamar the Great”

17 August 2021

17 August 2021

Queen Tamar (1160-1235 CE) reigned during Georgia’s Golden Age, when the country’s frontiers stretched from the Black Sea to the...

700 Years After Dante’s Death, His Handwritten Notes Are Discovered

11 July 2021

11 July 2021

Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, and scholar are best known for his masterwork La Commedia (also known as The Divine...

Derinkuyu: A Subterranean Marvel of Ancient Engineering with 18 Levels and Capacity for 20,000 Inhabitants

2 May 2025

2 May 2025

Beneath the sun-drenched plains of Cappadocia, where otherworldly “fairy chimney” rock formations pierce the sky, lies a secret world carved...

Forged 5,000 Years Ago: The World’s Oldest Swords Discovered at Arslantepe Mound, Türkiye

10 June 2025

10 June 2025

In the arid plains of Eastern Anatolia, nestled along the western bank of the Euphrates River near Malatya, Turkey, lies...

500-year-old Inca mummy, as if in a deep sleep “La Doncella”

24 August 2021

24 August 2021

Three Inca mummies found near the high Volcán Llullaillaco peak in Argentina in 1999 stunned all scientists. The 3 Incas...

Hasanlu Teppe and Mysterious Gold Bowl of Hasanlu

22 January 2022

22 January 2022

Hasanlu Teppe dominates the plain known as Solduz in Iran and was one of the largest settlements in the Qadar...

Cyprus’ Lost Terracotta Warriors: Unearthing a 2,500-Year-Old Army at Agia Eirini

23 May 2025

23 May 2025

Hidden beneath the sands of time in the tranquil Morphou Bay lies Agia Eirini (Turkish: Akdeniz), a seemingly quiet village...

Gladiators were mostly Vegetarians and they were fatter than you may think

6 August 2023

6 August 2023

What better epitomizes the ideal male physique than the Roman gladiator? Gladiators were the movie stars of the first century,...

Beehives of Saudi Arabia’s Thought to be Over 1,000 Years Old

20 July 2024

20 July 2024

Located in the majestic Sarawat Mountain range in western Saudi Arabia, the ancient beehives in the Maysan Governorate constitute a...

The Mysterious Figure of Anatolia: Alexander of Abonoteichus, the False Prophet of Rome

12 February 2025

12 February 2025

In the annals of history, few figures are as intriguing as Alexander of Abonoteichus, the self-proclaimed prophet who captivated the...

Kurt Tepesi: The Silent Sentinel in the Shadows of Göbeklitepe and Karahan Tepe – Unearthing the Forgotten Sister

31 May 2025

31 May 2025

In the arid plains of southeastern Anatolia, a quiet giant slumbers. While Göbekli Tepe has dazzled archaeologists and the global...

Spain’s little-known Viking history is being uncovered

9 August 2021

9 August 2021

Spain has been subjected to more invasions and conquests than any other European country. And, while the Roman, Visigothic, and...