Lima: She died in her twenties some 1700 years ago, and is believed to have ruled over a desert valley in ancient Peru where her elaborately tattooed body was buried with weapons and gold objects.

But a glimpse of the former priestess, the Lady of Cao, can now be seen in a replica of her face unveiled by culture officials and archaeologists on Monday.

Using 3D imaging technology and forensics archaeology, the replica was based on the Lady of Cao's skull structure and ethnographic research and took 10 months to create, Peru's Culture Ministry said.

The goal, said Culture Minister Salvador del Solar, was to bring the world closer to one of Peru's best archaeological finds and remind Peruvians of their rich cultural heritage.</s>A reconstruction of Lady of Cao, the name given to the mummified body of a priestess whose tomb was discovered more than a decade ago in La Libertad, Peru, in a picture released by the Peruvian national news service Andina on July 4, 2017 (AFP Photo/Oscar FARJE)

Lima (AFP) - Introducing the Lady of Cao: using high-tech 3-D printing and based on the skull of an ancient mummy, scientists have reconstructed the face of a woman who governed in northern Peru 1,700 years ago.

The woman's mummified remains were discovered at the Cao Viejo adobe pyramid in 2006 in the Chicama Valley, just north of the modern city of Trujillo.

"Technology allows us to see the face of a political, religious and cultural leader of the past," Culture Minister Salvador del Solar said when he unveiled a life-like bust of the woman on Tuesday in Lima.

The woman, dubbed the Lady of Cao, belonged to the Moche culture that thrived in the northern coastal region between 100 and 800 AD.

She had been buried with metal items and wooden scepters wrapped in copper that symbolized the power she wielded when she was alive.

Archaeologists say she is the first known female governor in Peru. Before this experts did not belive that women had any governing or religious authority in pre-Hispanic Peru.

Scientists worked for 10 months to replicate the woman's face by analyzing her skull structure and comparing it with pictures of female residents of Magdalena de Cao, the town nearest to the pyramid.

Tatoos are still visible on the woman's mummy, which was also on display at the event.</s>More than 1,700 years after her lavishly garbed, mummified body was ceremonially buried by the Moche in a royal tomb on Peru’s northern coast, officials on Tuesday revealed to the world a forensic recreation of the High Priestess of the Huaca Cao.

“It is an exact replica of the body and an unveiling of the face of the Lady Cao,” Minister of Culture Salvador del Solar told reporters Tuesday. “Technology allows us to see the face of a political, religious and cultural leader of the past.”

Discovered in 2005 in an intact tomb, the Lady Cao was a young woman adorned with the regalia of the high Moche religious hierarchy — making her the first known female ruler of pre-Columbian Peru.

Her arms were decorated with tattoos of snakes and spiders, and she is believed to have been imbued by her people with mystical powers. Scientists say she died around 300 C.E., likely soon after giving birth.

The forensic digital reconstruction was commissioned by the Wiese Foundation, which funds the sprawling El Brujo archaeological complex where the Lady Cao was discovered and is kept on display at the site’s ultra-modern museum.

For 10 months, resident archaeologists worked with specialists from Faro Technologies, 3D Systems, Abstract Group and ARQ 3D. They used laser technology developed by National Geographic to create a complete digital map of the mummy from head to toe, the Ministry of Culture said.

The unveiling of Lady Cao’s likeness comes 10 months after a team of computer graphics and forensic scientists produced a digital facial reconstruction of the Lord of Sipán. He is believed to have been a supreme Moche leader. His gold-relic laden tomb was discovered in 1988 at Huaca Rajada, 106 miles north of El Brujo.

“To see this woman tattooed, golden, 4-feet-11-inches tall, but of an immensity comparable to that of the Lord of Sipán is not only a matter of pride but an extraordinary development,” del Solar said.

For nearly 500 years, the Moche culture dominated more than 300 miles of Peru’s northern coast, extending inland from the Pacific Ocean to the high western slopes of the Andes. Their civilization went into decline and collapsed after a repeated string of catastrophic El Niño-driven floods and gigantic mudslides followed by intense droughts over the course of nearly two centuries. By 850 C.E. they were gone, replaced by a new civilization, the Chimu.

The Lady of Cao will be exhibited for free until July 16 at the Ministry of Culture’s headquarters in Lima’s San Borja District.</s>The Peruvian priestess dubbed Lady of Cao died 1,700 years ago, but her face has come back to life, thanks to 3D printing.

A team of Peruvian archaeologists discovered the ruler's heavily tattooed, mummified remains in 2005 at an ancient ceremonial burial site called "El Brujo." It took a multidisciplinary team of scientists 10 months to reconstruct her mien using state-of-the-art 3D laser-scanning technology, forensic facial reconstruction and ethnographic insights gleaned from photos of women in the El Brujo area.

Peru's Culture Minister Salvador del Solar revealed the lifelike oval face with high cheekbones at a ceremony on Monday. The bust, adorned with a tall gold crown, will be available for public viewing at the Ministry of Culture until July 16, along with an exact replica of the Lady of Cao's mummy. The real one can be seen at the Cao Musem of the El Brujo Archaeological Complex.

The archaeological complex calls the discovery of Lady of Cao "the great discovery that changed the perception of the female role in ancient Peru." Her mummy revealed evidence that women held power among the Moche people, who occupied the Chicama Valley from about 100 to 700 A.D. and were known for their violent, patriarchal culture.

Gold jewelry, weapons and other valuable artifacts accompanied her body, as did the remains of a teen girl who appeared to have been sacrificed to help shepherd Lady of Cao to the afterlife. The complex burial suggests her position as a ruler.

It's believed the Lady of Cao died in her twenties due to complications from childbirth. Archaeologists say her mummy is one of the best preserved relics of a civilization that ended more than 1,300 years ago.

The effort to reconstruct her face is part of an effort to preserve and document Peruvian history. The El Brujo Archaeological Complex collaborated with the Wiese Foundation and 3D-technology company FARO Technologies on bringing the famous face back to detailed life.

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Technically Literate: Original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET.</s>Peru has unveiled a replica of an ancient female ruler of the country, reconstructed using 3D printing technology and based on her mummified remains.

The replica of the woman's oval-shaped face with high cheekbones took 10 months to create, with a team of researchers and imaging experts using the woman’s skull structure, ethnographic research, 3D imaging technology and forensics archaeology.

Peru's culture ministry revealed the face Monday, alongside a replica of her mummy, and said they hoped it would allow Peruvians to feel a sense of their cultural history.

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“We now have the privilege of presenting the combination between future and past," the country’s culture minister Salvador del Solar said at the event in Peru’s capital of Lima introducing the Lady of Cao, as the woman is known, to the world.

"Its relevance is really incalculable," the minister added, quoted in Reuters, "We can now show the world her face, a face that Peruvians see ourselves in."

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Researchers believe the woman was a religious or political leader known as Lady of Cao, who ruled around 1,700 years ago. Archaeologists discovered her mummy in 2005 in a mud-brick ruined pyramid near Trujillo, a city on the coastal northwestern Peru known for being the site of the prehistoric Moche and Chimu cultures.

The woman's body was covered in elaborate tattoos of snakes, spiders and supernatural motifs, and buried wearing a golden crown among gold and copper items and weapons, including two war clubs and 23 spear throwers, according to the BBC.

The mummy’s discovery rewrote the history of the ancient Moche civilisation, which historians had believed was patriarchal in structure. Since the discovery of the Lady of Cao, archaeologists have uncovered more Moche female mummies that suggest women in the civilisation enjoyed high political and religious standing.

An autopsy on the Lady of Cao’s body revealed she was in her 20s when she died, possibly of complications from childbirth. The body of a strangled adolescent was found near her funerary bundle, which archaeologists believe was offered as a sacrifice to guide the ruler into the afterlife.
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• The Other Border Wall: In South America, Peru Lashes Out at Old Enemy Ecuador Over 900 Mile Barrier</s>But a glimpse of the former priestess, the Lady of Cao, can now be seen in a replica of her face unveiled by culture officials and archaeologists on Monday.

Using 3D imaging technology and forensics archaeology, the replica was based on the Lady of Cao's skull structure and ethnographic research and took 10 months to create, Peru's culture ministry said.

The goal, said Culture Minister Salvador del Solar, was to bring the world closer to one of Peru's best archaeological finds and remind Peruvians of their rich cultural heritage.

"Its relevance is really incalculable," del Solar said of the oval-shaped face with high cheekbones on display under a golden crown. "We can now show the world her face, a face that Peruvians see ourselves in."

The discovery of the Lady of Cao's mummified remains in 2005 shattered the belief that the ancient Moche society, which occupied the Chicama Valley from about 100 to 700 A.D., was patriarchal. Several Moche female mummies have been found since in graves with objects denoting a high political and religious standing.

Archaeologists believe the Lady of Cao died due to complications of childbirth but otherwise lived a healthy life.

Her arms and legs were covered with tattoos of snakes, spiders and other supernatural motifs. Discovered near her funerary bundle was a strangled adolescent, who might have been a sacrifice to guide her into the afterlife, according to the museum at the El Brujo archaeological site where she was found.

The Lady of Cao is a reminder of the complex societies that thrived in what is now Peru long before the Inca empire dominated the Andes or Europeans arrived in the Americas.

The Moche built irrigation canals to grow crops in the desert and were known for their ceramics and goldwork that have been looted from their gravesites.

The replica of the Lady of Cao, a collaboration that included archaeologists, the Wiese Foundation and global imaging company FARO Technologies Inc, will be displayed in Peru's culture ministry in the capital Lima through July 16. It will later be shown at the museum at El Brujo.</s>She died in her twenties some 1,700 years ago and ruled over a desert valley in ancient Peru, where her elaborately tattooed body was wrapped in 20 layers of fabric and buried with weapons and gold objects.

But a glimpse of the former priestess, the Lady of Cao, can now be seen in a replica of her face unveiled by culture officials and archaeologists on Monday.

Using 3D forensics technology, the replica was based on the Lady of Cao's skull structure and took 10 months to create.

THE LADY OF THE CAO The Lady of Cao is a name given to a female Moche mummy discovered in El Brujo, Peru, in 2005. The richness of the burial site, as well as the presence of weapons, suggested she may been a high ranking priestess or even a Moche ruler. The discovery of the Lady of Cao's mummified remains shattered the belief that the ancient Moche society, which occupied the Chicama Valley from about 100 to 700 AD, was patriarchal. Several Moche female mummies have been found since in graves with objects denoting a high political and religious standing. Archaeologists believe the Lady of Cao died due to complications of childbirth but otherwise lived a healthy life. Her arms and legs were covered with tattoos of snakes, spiders and other supernatural motifs. Discovered near her funerary bundle was a strangled adolescent, who might have been a sacrifice to guide her into the afterlife.

The international team of researchers behind the effort, led by experts at Peru's El Brujo museum where the mummy is currently on display, first took pictures of the Lady of Cao's remains with a state-of-the-art, handheld laser scanner.

The scanner was designed for industrial use and is now commonly used in forensic investigations.

The scanned data was then entered into a computer, which digitally stripped away her facial skin to reveal her skull bones.

Using different software, the team then placed 'tissue-depth markers' on the skull - another common forensics technique - and added tissues to the model based on average facial structures worked out from other Peruvian mummies.

'It's the exact same process you'd go through hands-on in the traditional method, adding clay to a model, but it's rolled into the digital environment now,' Joe Mullins, a consultant on the project, told National Geographic.

The discovery of the Lady of Cao's mummified remains in 2005 shattered the belief that the ancient Moche society, which occupied the Chicama Valley from about 100 to 700 AD, was patriarchal.

Several Moche female mummies have been found since in graves with objects denoting a high political and religious standing.

Archaeologists believe the Lady of Cao died due to complications of childbirth but otherwise lived a healthy life.

Her arms and legs were covered with tattoos of snakes, spiders and other supernatural motifs.

Discovered near her funerary bundle was a strangled adolescent, who might have been a sacrifice to guide her into the afterlife, according to the museum at the El Brujo archaeological site where she was found.

The Lady of Cao is a reminder of the complex societies that thrived in what is now Peru long before the Inca empire dominated the Andes or Europeans arrived in the Americas.

The Moche built irrigation canals to grow crops in the desert and were known for their ceramics and goldwork that have been looted from their gravesites.

Little is known about the group because they left almost no written records and only mummified the highest ranking members of their society.

The group is known for their elaborate artworks, murals and metalwork as well as their complex monumental architecture.

Their culture was sophisticated, and their pottery and metalwork depicts scenes of hunting, fishing, fighting, sexual encounters and lavish ceremonies.

The replica of the Lady of Cao, a collaboration that included archaeologists, the Wiese Foundation and global imaging company FARO Technologies, will be displayed in Peru's culture ministry in the capital Lima through July 16.

The goal, said Culture Minister Salvador del Solar, was to bring the world closer to one of Peru's best archaeological finds and remind Peruvians of their rich cultural heritage.

'Its relevance is really incalculable,' Mr del Solar said of the oval-shaped face with high cheekbones on display under a golden crown.

'We can now show the world her face, a face that Peruvians see ourselves in.'</s>An ancient female leader who died nearly 1,700 years ago has been reconstructed using 3-D printing.

The Lady of Cao has been replicated by Peruvian scientists after they analyzed her skull structure and remains. Found in 2006 in northern Peru, the woman, whose birth name is not known, died approximately 1,700 years ago in the Huaca Cao Viejo pyramid, near Trujillo.

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According to Peru's Ministry of Culture, the replica was made using 3-D imaging technology, as well as forensics archaeology. The full replica of her face took 10 months to create.

She was found perfectly preserved, wrapped in cloth, with a number of ceremonial items, including a crown and pieces of gold and copper. Weapons were also found, which may indicate the woman was a high ranking priestess or a Moche ruler.

The Lady of Cao was also found covered in a number of tattoos on her feet, legs and face, with symbols of serpents and spiders adorned on her body.

The Moche society, which occupied the Chicama Valley portion of Peru, lasted from 100 to 700 AD. There have been several female Moche mummies found, including ones with objects signifying their standing in the culture.

The autopsy performed on the mummified body shows she was in her 20s when she died. The cause of death is thought to be pregnancy or childbirth complications.

The replica will be displayed in Lima, Peru, in Peru's Culture Ministry through to July 16. From there, it will be on exhibit at the museum at El Brujo.</s>A replica of The Lady of Cao face, a female mummy found at the archaeological site Huaca El Brujo, a grand pyramid of the ancient Moche pre-hispanic culture, is seen at the Ministry of Culture in Lima, Peru July 4, 2017.

LIMA (Reuters) - She died in her twenties some 1,700 years ago, and is believed to have ruled over a desert valley in ancient Peru where her elaborately tattooed body was buried with weapons and gold objects.

But a glimpse of the former priestess, the Lady of Cao, can now be seen in a replica of her face unveiled by culture officials and archaeologists on Monday.

Using 3D imaging technology and forensics archaeology, the replica was based on the Lady of Cao's skull structure and ethnographic research and took 10 months to create, Peru's culture ministry said.

The goal, said Culture Minister Salvador del Solar, was to bring the world closer to one of Peru's best archaeological finds and remind Peruvians of their rich cultural heritage.

"Its relevance is really incalculable," del Solar said of the oval-shaped face with high cheekbones on display under a golden crown. "We can now show the world her face, a face that Peruvians see ourselves in."

The discovery of the Lady of Cao's mummified remains in 2005 shattered the belief that the ancient Moche society, which occupied the Chicama Valley from about 100 to 700 A.D., was patriarchal. Several Moche female mummies have been found since in graves with objects denoting a high political and religious standing.

Archaeologists believe the Lady of Cao died due to complications of childbirth but otherwise lived a healthy life.

Her arms and legs were covered with tattoos of snakes, spiders and other supernatural motifs. Discovered near her funerary bundle was a strangled adolescent, who might have been a sacrifice to guide her into the afterlife, according to the museum at the El Brujo archaeological site where she was found.

The Lady of Cao is a reminder of the complex societies that thrived in what is now Peru long before the Inca empire dominated the Andes or Europeans arrived in the Americas.

The Moche built irrigation canals to grow crops in the desert and were known for their ceramics and goldwork that have been looted from their gravesites.

The replica of the Lady of Cao, a collaboration that included archaeologists, the Wiese Foundation and global imaging company FARO Technologies Inc (FARO.O), will be displayed in Peru's culture ministry in the capital Lima through July 16. It will later be shown at the museum at El Brujo.</s>LIMA-She died in her 20s about 1700 years ago and is believed to have ruled over a desert valley in ancient Peru, where her elaborately tattooed body was buried with weapons and gold objects. But a glimpse of the former priestess, the Lady of Cao, can now be seen in a replica of her face, which was unveiled in Lima on Monday. Using 3D imaging technology and forensics archaeology, the replica was based on the mummified remains of the Lady of Cao’s skull and ethnographic research, and took 10 months to create, Peru’s culture ministry says.

Culture Minister Salvador del Solar says the goal was to bring the world closer to one of Peru’s best archaeological finds and remind Peruvians of their rich cultural heritage.

“Its relevance is really incalculable,” del Solar said of the oval-shaped face with high cheekbones on display under a golden crown.

“We can now show the world her face, a face that Peruvians see ourselves in.”

The discovery of the Lady of Cao’s mummified remains in 2005 shattered the belief the ancient Moche society, which occupied the Chicama Valley from about AD100 to AD700, was patriarchal.

Several Moche female mummies have been found since in graves with objects denoting a high political and religious standing.

Archaeologists believe the Lady of Cao died due to complications of childbirth but otherwise lived a healthy life.

Her arms and legs were covered with tattoos of snakes, spiders and other supernatural motifs.

Discovered near her funerary bundle was a strangled adolescent, who might have been a sacrifice to guide her into the afterlife, according to the museum at the El Brujo archaeological site where she was found.

The replica, made by a collaboration of archaeologists, the Wiese Foundation and global imaging company FARO Technologies, will be displayed in Peru’s culture ministry in Lima and then at the museum at El Brujo.
The face of the Peruvian Moche mummy the Lady of Cao is reconstructed from its skull structure, using forensic archaeology techniques and ethnographic research.